Looking Ahead
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Vrak had his aim set and shot at the Rangers. One blast struck them all and when the smoke cleared they were gone. "It worked!" he smiled and let his weapon fall to the ground. He no longer needed it. The Rangers were out of his way. "They're gone! This planet is mine!"
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

_Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:_

_**No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - **__**Prom Night**__ - __**A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night – Emma's Mother – Bait And Switch – After Death – A Stormy Day – A Date For Tensou – A Mother's Advice – Mending Fences – Executioner Named Revenge –Those Three Words – On The Fourth Day – Babysitting – Tiger- A Fresh Start – On the Mountains**_

Jake walked into the Brainfreeze with a couple of his teammates after his soccer game. They were new recruits for Conner McKnight's soccer team from out of town, and when Jake heard that they had never been to Ernie's Brainfreeze before, he promised to treat them to ice-cream if the team won.

"Ernie's menu can be a little overwhelming when you first come in," Jake said and he started to walk to the counter, "Why don't you two get a seat, and I'll order something to get you guys started."

"Something with chocolate," one of the boys said and Jake walked up to the bar to talk with Ernie. The boys looked for a place to sit before they spotted a girl in the corner. She was by herself and seemed distracted with whatever work was in front of her. The one boy nudged the other, who nodded, and they both approached the table and took a seat.

"Hey, that looks interesting," the first boy said as he leaned over and looked at her papers. "College?"

The girl put her hand over her papers to hide the information from the boys and looked up, "Are you two lost?"

Then she saw the jerseys they were wearing and chuckled, "Jake brought you here, didn't he?"

"You know Jake?"

"I've never seen you on the team before."

The boys looked to each other and then nodded their heads, "We're new players. We'll start next season, but Coach wants us to start practicing with the team early, and we go to the games to get a feel for how the team plays together. He's really into teamwork."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, Jake never mentioned he knew such a babe."

"We should get your number," the other boy said. "You know, just in case."

"In case of what."

"In case you ever wanted to come to a game. Normally you'd have to pay for tickets, but friends and family can come watch for free, so we can hook you up."

"Aren't you technically not on the team until next season? And why would I need you to watch a game when my boyfriend is already the star of the team."

"B… boyfriend?" the boys looked to each other and then each felt a hand fall on their shoulders. They looked up and gulped, seeing Jake standing behind them.

"Ice cream is on the way. Ernie's bringing it over," Jake smirked and pretended he had no idea of the talk his teammates had had with Gia, "Hey, Gia, I didn't see you there. Seems you've already met."

"Dude, we didn't know," the first player looked up at Jake apologetically. "We just thought she was a friend."

"Yeah, I mean… really," the other boy nodded his head in Gia's direction and then looked at Jake, "I mean… really?"

"It's my killer dance moves that won her over," Jake smirked. He sat beside Gia and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Gia put her head in her hands and sighed loudly. "No one can resist me when I'm on the dance floor, right Gia?"

"He's a better soccer player than he is a dancer," Gia said and then frowned at Jake, "And that's all I'm going to say."

"So…" the second player asked as he and his friend sat down across from Jake and Gia. He looked at Gia, "is this like… a dare or something? Are you getting money at the end?"

"Alright, now I'm starting to get offended," Jake frowned. Gia kissed his cheek and leaned into him.

"There's more to a man than meets the eye."

"I am offended," Jake glared at Gia. She shrugged her shoulders.

Ernie arrived with the ice-creams for the table. As he set them down, the first player grabbed his arm and pointed at Jake and Gia.

"Help us out here, dude. This can't be real."

"Jake and Gia?" Ernie asked. "They've been going out for a long time now. One of the cutest couples to eat at the Brainfreeze."

"Thank you," Jake smiled, finally feeling complimented for once. Gia rolled her eyes.

"Cute? Now I'm offended."

"So… this is real?" the first player asked. Jake chuckled and nodded his head. He kissed Gia, and when she didn't flinch or pull away, his teammates finally believed him. They leaned back into their seats with their ice-cream. "So, do you have any friends?"

"Single friends?"

"Two," Gia smirked and looked at Jake. He hid his mouth behind his hand so the boys wouldn't see him laughing. "Noah and Troy."

"Noah and… wait, that second one doesn't sound like a girl's name."

"Both boys," Gia nodded her head. "I can give you their numbers…"

"Uh… no, but thanks," the first player shook his head and the other agreed. "We were thinking more along the lines of… girls. We don't…"

"Play for that team," the second one finished.

"Hmm… girl friends? Do I have any girlfriends…?"

"Gia! You'll never guess what I just got in the mail!" Emma cried as she hurried into the Brainfreeze, waving around some papers. "The city just approved the new recycling program I suggested! Can you believe it?"

Emma sat down right beside Gia and showed her the papers. The two players looked to each other before sliding around the table, closer to Emma. Jake held back his laugh and tried not to say anything. He couldn't blame them for trying, and he remembered when he had been just like them. As Emma gushed about her success with the city, the boys pretended to show an interest.

"You know, I've always thought the current recycling program could use an update," the first one said and the other agreed.

"It's so good of you to want to make a difference!"

"Thanks!" Emma smiled brightly and then turned back to Gia, "Uh… who are they?"

"Jake's friends," Gia said. "Coach McKnight just recruited them for the team. They'll start next season. They're hoping to have a girlfriend on their arm for their first game."

"Aw, that would be cute," Emma smiled at the boys. "I know Jake loves having Gia at his games to cheer him on. Well, Panorama girls do love soccer, so I'm sure it won't take you long."

"You know, girlfriends can get into games for free," the second player said. "If you ever wanted to see a…"

"I know," Emma smiled. "Gia's never had to pay for a ticket. It's really nice of Coach McKnight to let her sit on the bench. The view is great!"

Gia and Jake were now both trying to contain their laughter. Emma had a boyfriend already, and because of that, she wasn't picking up the hints the boys were putting down, assuming they already knew she was off the market. The boys didn't stop trying, though.

"I'm sure Coach McKnight will let you sit on the bench if we put in a good word for you."

"You don't have to do that," Emma shook her head. "I don't go to many games. Just the bigger ones to support Jake. By the way, Jordan and I are coming this Saturday."

"Awesome."

"Jordan? Uh… who is Jordan?"

"My boyfriend," Emma smiled and then snatched her mail from Gia, "His class is ending soon! I have to show this to him! He's going to be so excited! Bye, guys!"

Emma hurried out of the Brainfreeze with a skip in her step from her excitement. Gia and Jake saw the boys' faces fall and couldn't keep in their laughter anymore.

"So, Noah and Troy…"

The boys sunk into their seats and finished eating their ice-creams. Jake gave them a pat on the back.

"Don't worry about it, guys. And hey, Emma wasn't lying. Chicks in this town do dig soccer players. So, how's the ice-cream."

"Delicious."

"The best I've ever had," the boys replied in a monotone. Jake gave them a reassuring look. He had been in their position before and knew it would work out for them. Then he turned to Gia, seeing she was working on filling out some papers. He looked at the header, "Whoa… Gia…"

"At the end of the school year, Mrs. Chesterfield said she submitted my report card to several colleges across the state," Gia explained. "She wanted me to get a bit of a head start this year."

"Why just you?"

"I'm sure she's doing the same for Noah," Gia said. "I guess some of the colleges liked what they saw. I got this in the mail this morning. Mom's making me fill it out."

"Yeah, obviously," Jake nodded his head. "Gia, this is one of the best schools in the state!"

"It came with a letter," Gia took the letter out from the bottom of the pile and showed it to Jake. She knew he wouldn't want to read it all, so she summed it up for him, "Basically, they're saying that if I can keep my grades up, join a few extracurricular activities, and find a specific area of study, they'll pay for me to attend."

"They'll pay you to go to their school?"

"They won't pay me," Gia shook her head, "I just won't have to pay them."

"You don't sound to excited," Jake frowned and he passed the letter over to his two teammates. Both of their jaws dropped.

"My brother applied to this school," one of them said. "His average was ninety in high school; he was class president all four years, and organized a huge and very successful fundraiser his senior year, and they still turned him down! No one gets into this school unless they're a freaking genius."

"Gia, this will set you up for life!" Jake said. "And it's not like they're asking a lot. Joining some clubs would be good for you, and it's about time we start thinking about what we want to do with the rest of our lives."

"Yeah, I know, I'd just rather… not," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "I'll fill out their forms, and keep this as a fallback…"

"You're kidding, right?" the player asked her. "You're going to keep them in your back pocket?"

"You're going to turn them down?" Jake asked. Gia shrugged her shoulders and gathered up her papers.

"Jake, we haven't even started our senior year, yet," she gathered up her papers. "I've already got this college shoving their noses where it doesn't belong. Do we have to think about this now?"

"It's good to start," Jake shrugged his shoulder. "I mean, dad's making me look into colleges. We're looking at what we can afford, what has a good soccer program… you know, so we're ready."

"That's good, Jake," Gia said. She got up and looked to the two boys, "It was nice meeting you. I guess I'll see you Saturday for the game."

"Yeah, nice meeting you, Gia," the boys waved goodbye. Gia gave Jake a kiss before she walked out.

When she left the Brainfreeze, she quickly turned the corner and found a garbage can. She ripped up the papers and stuffed them all inside. She jumped, startled, when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder.

"Paper can be recycled, you know."

She turned around and saw it was Troy. He was only teasing her, knowing it was something Emma would say if she had been the one to catch Gia.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Troy chuckled. "What's with all the papers anyways?"

"Just junk mail."

"And you couldn't recycle it at home? You know, Emma would kill you if she saw this."

"It didn't occur to me," Gia said. Troy crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a knowing look. She sighed. "I'm not ready for college."

"College?" Troy asked her, surprised. Gia nodded her head and reached into the trash. She pulled out some of her papers to show Troy.

"I'm just getting my life back," she explained as Troy's jaw dropped when he saw the name of the college, "Now these people are trying to tell me I have to figure it all out or I'm screwed up again. I don't even know what I want to do."

"Have you looked into some of their programs? This is an amazing school. I'm sure…"

Gia shook her head, "It's all… boring. And where exactly is this going to take me? Some boring office job?"

"More than that."

"I don't know what I want to do," Gia snatched the papers back. "Jake wants to play soccer. Emma wants to recycle the planet, or do photography. Noah's going to cure cancer or invent a time machine or something. I don't have a passion like that."

"You were awesome at mountain boarding the other day," Troy smiled at her, "And that was after several weeks off."

"That's a hobby, Troy. I don't want to… that's not a job. Nothing out there is me… you know?"

"I don't know what I want to do either," Troy said. "Knowing I'll have to think of the rest of my life this year kind of freaks me out too, and I don't even have high marks like you. I'm just average in school."

"But you don't have colleges sending you papers already. Senior year hasn't even started, and already everyone's trying to tell me what I need to do. I feel like high school just started."

"Cliff took away that part of your life, didn't he?" Troy asked. Gia looked up at him. Her eyes were starting to water as she nodded her head. Troy pulled her in for a hug. "You're going to do great things, Gia, I know it. Whether you're in this amazing school or not, you're going to be awesome."

"By doing what? I've got no focus."

"This is the year we find one," Troy smiled. "Look, I'm helping Rebecca get her life back together too."

"She's only going into junior year."

"She's going to need to start thinking ahead too. We'll find something, okay? You're not the only person who's got no idea what's in the future. I'm freaking out too. It doesn't help we've also got a world to save. I mean, that would be amazing to put on a college resume."

"Yeah… it would…"

"We're going to be okay, Gia," Troy assured her with another hug. "Just do your best, and if it takes a little more time to find something for you, then that's alright. Dad's always telling me he still doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up."

"But I don't want that. I want to know. I want to be like the others…"

"But you're not, and it's a good thing you're not. Gosei didn't pick us to be Rangers because we're just like everyone else. We're special, even if we don't see it. We'll find something to do, I promise."

"Not at this school, though," Gia said and put the papers back in the garbage. "This isn't for me."

"You're definitely special if you're turning down the school that turns down most of its applicants every year," Troy chuckled. Gia rolled her eyes and then smiled.

"Thanks for this, Troy. It means a lot."

"What are friends for? Now, I was just going into Ernie's. Want to join me?"

"I just got out of there," Gia shook her head. "I'm going to go home. Maybe I'll look at some schools online, see if anything hits me. There's got to be something out there, right?"

"There always is," Troy smiled.


	2. Vrak's Plan

Gia walked back to her place after the Brainfreeze. She knew she didn't want to go to the school that was offering her a conditional acceptance. She had already seen the programs and degrees they offered and none of them reflected her. She had no idea who she really was or what she wanted to be, but she was sure she wouldn't find herself there.

But Troy's speech inspired her to keep going. She was only seventeen and her senior year hadn't started. Time was ticking, but it wasn't close to the end yet. Troy stated his father still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, and he was an aging man. Gia remembered overhearing multiple conversations between her parents where her own father admitted to not knowing what he wanted to do with his life. Both were successful. Both were happy. She didn't need to worry as long as she kept her eye on what was important.

She walked down the street, on her way home, and took the scenic route because it would give her more time to think, but halfway there she stopped when she heard screams. People were running towards her and past her, shoving her out of the way so they could get away. Gia was bumped and pushed until she hit the ground and covered herself from the stampede of screaming people until the crowd passed. Then she looked up, and saw to her horror she was face to face with Vrak.

"Yellow Ranger."

Gia got to her feet and morphed instantly. She stood before him, staring him down through the visor as feelings of rage and hate bubbled up inside her. She tried to contain them as much as possible, knowing it would be stupid to challenge him without her friends. Vrak was strong, and there was always something going in his head. His moves were calculated, and so far they had proven to be deadly. Cliff had been killed by him, and her father had been killed by one of his creations. She wouldn't be his next victim.

"No alien to fight your battles for you today?"

"There will be no alien today," Vrak said. "You Rangers have shown your strength. Another battle will only cost me another one of my loyal servants in the end. Today, I'm trying something a little different."

Vrak pulled out a gun, but before he had time to shoot he saw the other Rangers running up the street. He backed off and smirked to himself as they joined the yellow Ranger.

"Well, the gang's all here!"

"Whatever you're planning stops here, Vrak!" Troy shouted as he took the lead. "We're not going to let you ruin our planet!"

"Believe me, Rangers, no one understands that better than I do," Vrak held up his gun again and aimed it for Troy, who stood in the center of everyone. "However, if you're not around to stop me, then there's nothing you can do about it."

"Who says we won't be around?" Jake asked. Vrak responded by pulling the trigger, and a blast was shot at Troy. The red Ranger jumped out of the way and he managed to avoid being hit, but only just. The blast instead flew past him and hit a tree, which then disappeared completely.

"Well, that's different from his last gun," Noah pointed out.

"Doesn't make it any less dangerous," Emma said as she walked over to where the tree had been and tried to touch it, but felt nothing there. "It's gone!"

"I sent it away," Vrak announced as the gun charged again. "To where, you'll have to find out."

"No, thank you," Jake shouted as he charged at the alien. Vrak knew his weapon wasn't fully charged yet and so he had to fight back. The black Ranger was strong. Indeed, Vrak knew him to be one of the strongest on the team. He found himself struggling to keep away from Jake, and eventually wound up on his ass on the street. The gun fell from his hand and he crawled to pick it up again. Just as he reached out to grab it, it was kicked away from him.

"Nice moves, Gia!" Jake called to her.

"I learned from the best," Gia responded and then put her foot down on Vrak's wrist. He looked up at her and laughed.

"You think you Rangers are strong enough to stop me?"

"You hide behind weapons and monsters?" Gia said. "We fight our own battles."

Vrak chuckled and summoned his weapon. With it, he took Gia's legs out from under her. As she fell, he rose up. He put his foot on her chest and just as he was about to finish her off, he was blasted from the side and knocked down again. He looked over and saw the pink Ranger with her Phoenix Shot.

"Cute," he got to his feet again and saw he had actually been helped with the blast, as he was now closer to his gun. He picked it up and held it out as the Rangers regrouped before him. He knew it would be a while again to charge if he missed this shot, so he wanted to get it right. By raising his hand in the air he summoned his Loogies.

"Coward!" he heard the yellow Ranger cry as they were forced to deal with the Loogies and he took aim. He wanted to get them all in one shot. He had seen what they were like when one of them was threatened. They were a strong, fearless, and almost unstoppable group, but if his plan succeeded, there would be nothing they could do to keep him from ruling their planet.

The Loogies surrounded the Rangers, and eventually brought them all into a tight group. The Rangers took down their numbers quickly, but Vrak had his aim set and shot at the Rangers. One blast struck them all and when the smoke cleared they were gone.

"It worked!" he smiled and let his weapon fall to the ground. He no longer needed it. The Rangers were out of his way. "They're gone! This planet is mine!"


	3. A Long Time Coming

Troy landed on a hard surface and felt his suit's energy leave him, exposing him to whatever environment he was now forced to face and leaving him completely vulnerable. He let out a groan as the pain hit him, but forced himself up and had a look at him teammates. Like him, they had taken a hard fall, but they seemed to be alright. He reached out his hand to Noah, helping the blue Ranger up.

"Everyone okay?"

"Yeah," they all answered him when they were on their feet. Troy then had a good look around. He recognized the city. He recognized the street. They were exactly where they had been with Vrak, only nothing looked the same. The buildings around him had collapsed; the street looked like it hadn't been repaired in years. It had possible even been destroyed. All the cars were gone and everything seemed dim and grey.

"Are… are we on Earth?" Emma asked, feeling her heart break as she too recognized where she was, "But… this can't… how is this possible?"

"STOP, Rangers!" the five of them suddenly heard and they turned around, seeing a group of civilians standing before them. They then looked to each other in horror, fearing their identities had been compromised.

"You're under arrest," a man stepped forward from the crowd and he was holding a pair of handcuffs. He grabbed Troy and slapped the handcuffs on the red Ranger's wrists, locking them behind his back. More people stepped out from the crowd and did the same with the other Rangers.

"Wait, what's going on?"

"Lord Vrak wishes to see you," the man who arrested Troy announced.

"Lord Vrak?" Jake asked as he pulled against the man who captured him. "Wait, this is a joke, isn't it? Vrak's gun is playing a trick on us. These are probably just Loogies and because of the gun, we think they're people. He's messing with our heads. Don't fall for it, guys."

"This isn't a trick," a voice said from the crowd before its owner stepped out. The Rangers were all surprised, but none more so than Emma.

"Jordan?"

"It was this or die," Jordan said. "I have hope, we all do, but Vrak's too strong. We can't risk it."

"He's messing with us, Emma! Don't fall for it!"

"This isn't a trick, guys! This is real! Vrak's gun sent you all to the future. It's 2018. He's conquered the Earth. Anyone who didn't bow down to him and swear to serve him was destroyed. Everything we've done is ruined. He's creating his own empire."

"2018?" Troy asked, frowning deeply, "This is the future?"

"I don't want to do this," Jordan said with a shake of his head, "But I'm left with no choice. Take them to Vrak. If they try to escape, kill them."

"Jordan!"

"I'm sorry, Emma," Jordan lowered his head. "I'm just trying to stay alive. We need your help."

After their arrest, the Rangers were brought to the heart of the city. Where the mayor's office once stood was now a large palace. Human and Loogies guarded the entrance, but getting inside was fairly easy. The Rangers were then taken to what appeared to be a throne room. Vrak sat on his throne, with humans and Loogies standing around him, waiting on him with various tasks. Troy immediately recognized the woman polishing his armour.

"Rebecca?"

She looked to him, confirming her identity with a subtle nod, but she didn't say anything. Vrak stood up to greet the Rangers and ordered that their captors forced them to bow.

"Well, Rangers, it's been a long time. Maybe not for you, but four years for me. Enough time for me to start building my empire here on Earth. So, what do you think?"

"You're not getting away with this," Troy growled, daring to look up and stare Vrak in the eyes. He laughed.

"I already have! With you Rangers gone, there was no one to stop me taking over the Earth!"

"Earth has about a hundred Rangers defending it," Noah said. "You couldn't have defeated them all."

"How do you think I'm standing here?" Vrak asked. "Once you were out of my way, I ordered all my forces to take over your city and searched night and day for your command center. You know, I've got to say, I expected better. Bring him out!"

Loogies carried into the room a pile of scrap metal. When they dropped it to the ground a piece fell close to the Rangers. They recognized the Megaforce logo instantly and knew what Vrak had done. Noah tried to get up, but his captors forced him down.

"You killed Tensou?"

"After he helped me by stripping all Rangers of their powers. He served his purpose, and was no longer willing to serve me, so I disposed of him."

"Gosei wouldn't…"

"You mean that hunk of hung metal to all bow down to?" Vrak laughed at Troy. "Try as he might, but without his pathetic Rangers, he was powerless. He put all his hopes, all his trust in you. Look where that got him."

"So all these people," Jake asked, "every human on Earth just gave into you? Just like that? One man controls the whole world?"

"I'd hardly call him a man," Gia muttered. "One monster."

"You've been gone for a while, Rangers," Vrak said. "I understand this is a lot to take in, so let me get you caught up. After all the Rangers on your foolish planet were painfully killed, I took over as ruler. Many humans decided to serve me, sparing their lives, but many more decided to fight back. They were all… exterminated. For instance, yellow Ranger; I had a fun time with this one. Who knew your mother had so much fight inside of her? Girl!"

Rebecca gently put Vrak's armour down and reached into her apron. She pulled out a paper and hurried over to Gia to show her an image.

"Don't freak out," she whispered but it wasn't enough. Gia jumped to her feet and tried to go after Vrak, but Loogies swarmed her and held her back. Rebecca hurried back to Vrak's side.

"Take them away," Vrak ordered and the Loogies took control of the Rangers as they dragged them away from the throne room and down a long, dark hallway until they reached a room with five cells. The Rangers were thrown into their own cells and locked away quickly. They were trapped in their own individual cages and they couldn't reach each other, but they could see and talk to each other. When the doors of their prisons locked, the handcuffs fell off.

"He's confident," Troy said as he massaged his wrist, "Let's hope he's too confident."

"Gia, what did he do?" Emma walked to the front of her cage and looked over at Gia. The yellow Ranger sunk to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Gia, what did he do?" Jake asked her.

"He killed my mother," Gia closed her eyes and saw the paper again. She recited what had been written there for her, "Mom led the rebellion that tried to stop Vrak after all the Rangers were defeated. She used the morpher Emma gave her. The one Jordan created. She couldn't do it, though. Vrak killed everyone who followed her, and then her… slowly."

"Gia…"

"That's both my parents…"

"That's what he wants, Gia," Noah told her. "He's in your head now. He knows all you're going to want to do now is go after him."

"We can stop this from happening," Troy said as he looked over to each of his friends. "Jordan and Rebecca are working for him. Who knows what's happened to the rest of our friends and family. He's going to try and use that to control us, but we can't let that stop us. If we can find a way to get back to our time, none of this will be possible."

"Dinner…" a little voice announced softly as a girl walked into the prison room. She carried a single tray with nothing more than five small loaves of bread and a pitcher of water. As soon as she entered the room, though, she tripped, spilling the bread and water and the pitcher broke.

"Uh-oh…"

"Ryan, it's okay," Rebecca rushed in behind her and helped her up, "Just give them the bread."

"Rebecca," Troy walked up to the bars and called out to his sister. Rebecca looked at him and then ushered the little girl over.

"Give him the bread, Ryan."

"Ryan?" Troy looked down at the little girl and then up at Rebecca. She nodded her head.

"I promised her to Vrak when he took over," she said. "He killed your parents, and he was going to do the same to her, so I cut a deal. She's been working for him since she could walk."

"This is…"

Rebecca nodded again and then knelt beside Ryan, "Give Troy the bread, sweetie. It's okay, he's the good guy."

"But Whack…"

"We don't need to listen to Vrak anymore," Rebecca said. "This is big brother. He's going to save us. He's the Power Ranger. Remember, I told you all about him."

"You know?"

"Vrak made your identities known as soon as you took over," Rebecca nodded. She gently nudged Ryan, "Give him the bread, sweetheart.

Ryan looked to Troy before throwing the bread at him. Troy managed to catch it and smiled. Trusting Rebecca wouldn't give him anything that was dangerous, he bit into the bread.

"Ow!"

"Vrak's a little cocky," Rebecca said as Troy examined his bread and saw a key. He hasn't been keeping a close eye on us for a while now. He thinks we're all too scared to fight back."

From his bread, Troy pulled out a key. He looked to Rebecca and she nodded her head, so he tried it on his lock.

"He knew you were eventually going to turn up," Rebecca continued to explain, "So he made it clear the day and time you'd be coming back so we could arrest you. You know, before you figured this out on your own. Some people think it's already too late, but enough of us think you can stop this from happening. We want to help."

Troy opened the door to the prison and hugged Rebecca tightly. When he let go, he looked at his teammates, who were still locked away. He shook his head, "I can't do this by myself."

"I know," Rebecca said. "Ry, give the other Rangers their bread."

Ryan picked up the scattered pieces of bread from the floor and dropped them into each of the Rangers' cages. Right away, the Rangers picked apart their breads, got the keys, and let themselves out.

"The window," Rebecca pointed to a window high up on the wall, "has been left unlocked. The guards are in on this plan and they'll pretend they didn't see anything. Avoid the Loogies, though, like that really needs to be said."

Rebecca then grabbed Ryan and lifted her up. She put her in Troy's arms, "Please take her with you."

"What about you?"

"Ryan and I are only alive because we agreed to serve Vrak. She's often sick, so he won't care if she doesn't show up for her chores. I'll tell him she's resting and I'll cover for her. Vrak won't suspect a thing while you get away, and Ryan knows where you guys can hide."

"I don't want to leave you…"

"Troy, you've got to," Rebecca kissed his cheek. "I've made it four years, I can handle the end. Don't worry about me. As long as you succeed, none of this is going to happen anyways. I'll be fine."

"Troy, c'mon," Jake called and he was already up on the window and he had it pushed open. Troy hugged his sister one more time and kept a tight grip on Ryan as he hurried for the window. He lifted Ryan up high as Jake grabbed her, and together they slipped out of the window. Troy and Noah then helped Emma climb up next.

Gia, meanwhile, hesitated to go to the window. Rebecca walked over to her.

"I'm sorry I had to show you that, but I thought you needed to know."

"He's messing with me, isn't he? He knew I'd come back. He knew I'd find out."

"I'm sorry, Gia."

"The others can go. I want to…"

Rebecca grabbed Gia's arm and pulled her back.

"Don't be an idiot," Rebecca shook her head. "Gia, this is your mother's plan."

"My…"

"Vrak thinks he killed everyone who followed her, but he didn't. She made this plan as a fallback, just in case. That's how Jordan's still alive. She heard you were coming back and she wanted to make sure that, no matter what, you'd be able to stop this from happening."

"But she's dead…"

"And it sucks," Rebecca nodded, "but she died so you wouldn't have to live the rest of your life as Vrak's prisoner. Thanks to her, we can get you and the other Rangers out of your prisons and you can stop this. If you don't go along with her plan, she'll have suffered for nothing. Please, Gia, just check your anger at the door."

"I…"

"Vrak's going to win if you don't. He's knows you're going to take the first chance you can to kill him. If you go after him, he'll know you and the Rangers escaped. He's counting on you to be his alarm. He thinks he's controlling you!"

"He thinks he can control me?"

"He's too cocky for his own good," Rebecca pointed to the window, "Go!"

Gia nodded her head and ran for her escape. The others were all through so she had to jump. Fortunately, Troy was smart enough to stay on the window. When Gia jumped he caught her arm and pulled her up.

"You made the right decision," he said. "When we get back to our time, your mom will be fine."

Gia nodded her head, "Yeah, Rebecca too."

"C'mon, guys, the Loogies are coming around," Jake called as he peered around the side of the castle. Gia and Troy jumped down from the window. Ryan took Troy's hand.

"Brofer?"

"Yeah, Ryan," Troy knelt and smiled at her, "I'm your big brother. I'm the red Ranger. These are my friends. We'll keep you safe."

"We have to hide," Ryan said and started to pull on Troy's hand, "Come!"

"Follow mini-red," Gia told the others as they stuck close to Troy and Ryan and ran away from Vrak's palace.


	4. Finding Shelter

Troy followed his little sister through a barren wasteland that used to be Harwood County, and he couldn't believe all the things he saw. Everything he had known about his city and the world only hours ago was suddenly gone. All the life from the Earth had been sucked away by Vrak and his evil empire. He wanted to put a stop to it, but at this time there was nothing he could do. He and his teammates had to go back to their time if they wanted the Earth back to the way it was.

Ryan suddenly ducked down and climbed through a very small hole in the ground. The little child could just barely squeeze herself in. Troy and the boys doubted they would be able to crawl through. When Ryan was in, she turned around and reached out her hand.

"Come inside."

"Ryan, this is small," Troy knelt and spoke to her, "We're too big to get in."

"No we're not," Gia shook her head, "Ryan, step back."

When Ryan was out of the way Gia kicked at the sides of the hole. She didn't manage much, but it was enough to cause the sides of the hole to crumble, opening the entrance just a little bit more. Emma then squeezed inside first. It was still a tight fit, but that was at least one Ranger inside.

"You go in next," Jake told Gia, "We don't know how long it'll be before Vrak notices we're gone. The faster we can get into hiding, the better."

Gia nodded her head, agreeing reluctantly and climbed inside the hole. Again, it was a tight squeeze, but she made it. When she was through, Ryan poked her head out and looked at Troy.

"Come inside," she repeated. Troy looked to Noah and Jake who both nodded their heads and kept a lookout. Troy slipped his legs in first, and squeezed himself in as much as he could. With a little bit of wriggling and some pulling from the girls, he managed to make it inside. Ryan clung to his leg tightly while she waited for the other two to get in.

"Go, Noah," Jake told his best friend and Noah squeezed his way in. He wasn't as big as Troy, and the red Ranger managed to make the hole a little bigger when he squeezed inside, so Noah had an easier time. There was still a little wriggling to be done, but he made it inside. Jake was last. He saw there was no one around and so made his way into the hole.

"Have doors been discontinued in the future?" he asked when he finally got inside. He started to brush the dirt off his clothes, but then felt Gia reaching for his hand. He held her. He knew she was worried. It was likely Vrak had killed at their parents in the four years they had been gone, but he had made it personal by showing Gia a picture of her mother's death. Jake didn't understand Vrak's obsession with trying to break Gia down, but he knew it was going to have to stop soon.

Ryan started to tug on Troy's pants. He looked down at her and then lowered himself so he was level with her. She whispered in his ear and then wrapped her arms around his neck. Troy lifted her and turned to his teammates.

"She wants us to follow this tunnel."

"I guess we follow the tunnel," Noah shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like we've got anywhere else to go."

"How do we follow the tunnel?" Emma asked as she looked further down, seeing there was nothing but darkness as they left the light of the entrance.

"Go straight until we hit a wall, I guess," Jake suggested. "Anyone got a better idea? Ryan?"

Ryan shook her head before she hid her face in Troy's shoulder. Jake's plan was now the best they had so he started walking. He kept one arm wrapped around Ryan to hold her up and held the other out in front of him. If he was going to hit a wall, he'd rather not break his nose or hurt his sister.

"Stay close to each other, guys," Troy announced softly, unsure of what could be hiding in the tunnels. "We don't want to be separated."

"AH!" Noah suddenly shouted, and then there was a laugh from Jake.

"Dude, calm down, that's just my hand!"

"Well, what's it doing?"

"Do you want to get lost, dude? Just hold it."

Noah took Jake's hand and kept a firm grip. He did not want to get lost and was glad Jake had thought about staying in contact.

"Alright, I know it's dark, but whose hand is that on my butt?" Gia asked.

"Sorry, I thought that was your back," Emma answered and raised her hand. Gia shook her head and grabbed her best friend's arm. Then the Rangers heard giggling.

"Ryan? Is that you?" Troy asked.

"She said butt," Ryan laughed. "Like bum bum."

Troy gently squeezed his sister and continued walking with one hand out in front of him until he reached a wall. He felt around, hoping to find an open space for him and the Rangers to keep walking, but it felt like he had hit a dead end. Everywhere he turned there was a wall blocking his path except for the way he came. He bumped into his teammates.

"We're lost."

"We can't be lost," Jake answered. "Ryan, are you sure we're supposed to come down here?"

"Yeah! We jump!"

"Jump?" Emma frowned. "What does jumping do?"

"Jump! Jump!" Ryan said and she started to move in Troy's arms. Feeling she was unsettled, Troy set her down, but he didn't let go of her hand, not wanting to lose her. Ryan started to jump. He could feel her bouncing up and down. "Jump, jump, jump!"

"Now what do we do?" Noah asked his teammates. "We're lost in a different time, and cornered if Vrak finds us."

"And without help," Gia said. "Everyone's counting on us."

"TOY!" Ryan tugged on her brother's arm, "Jump!"

"Ryan…"

"Jump!"

"Alright, alright," Troy rolled his eyes and then started to jump with Ryan. At first he didn't see the point, and thought maybe Ryan wanted to play, but then he started to feel the ground weaken underneath his feet. He stopped jumping and grabbed his sister, worried they were going to fall.

"No, Toy! Jump!" Ryan said. Troy shook his head before a thought came to him. So he jumped one more time. He did feel the ground give way under him and he fell a lot farther this time. He held his sister as he crashed through what he thought had been solid ground and down a level in the cave. He heard his friends calling out his name, but it took him a moment to figure out what had happened. When he got his bearings he looked down at his sister, who lay in his arms, curled up as much as possible from the fall.

"Are you okay?" he asked her and then saw her nodding her head. It was at that point he noticed the light around him. He looked up through the hole he had fallen from and saw his friends dropping down.

"Where are we?" Noah asked. He wiped away the dirt from the lenses on his glasses and then had a look around. Troy had fallen through the ground to a cave. There were lanterns hung on the walls, giving them the source of light so they could see. A wooden table and chairs had been set up in what looked to be a little eating space, and an old couch was on the opposite side. Next to it was what Noah recognized as one of the bookshelves from his garage, where he kept all his notes from his past experiments and his research. He had no idea what it was doing underground until he noticed his parents standing by a machine. "Mom? Dad?"

"Noah!" they dropped what they had been doing and ran over to their son, taking him in their arms and hugging him tightly. For Noah, it had only been a matter of hours since he had last seen then, but for them it had been four long years. "You're back!"

"What is this place?" Noah asked as he moved away from them, and then looked around again. "How did you…?"

"When Vrak made it clear who the Rangers were, we knew we had to fight," Mr. Carver explained to his son and the others as they gathered around. "Vanessa approached us with her plan shortly after that, and it was an offer we couldn't refuse."

"It was dangerous," Mrs. Carver admitted, "but we weren't going to let Vrak get away with taking over our world. We knew you were coming back eventually, so we worked together to come up with a plan to keep this all from happening."

"With my notes?" Noah asked as he walked over to his bookshelf and picked up all the notes he had jotted down through his years of discovery.

"It hasn't been easy," Mr. Carver told his son. "We basically need to build a time machine. We've got the machine itself built. We've managed that in four years."

"It's the time part we're having trouble with," Mrs. Carver said. "No one knows how to build a time machine. Only Vrak, and the weapon he used to bring you all here was destroyed to discourage anyone from attempting something like this. We've been hiding underground for four years trying to create this."

"How has Vrak not found you?" Jake asked. "He says he's killed everyone who was part of the rebellion and who didn't bow down to him. We know some people are like spies… but how did you get away?"

"Jordan," Mrs. Carver answered while her husband showed Noah the machine they had been working on. "Jordan gave his life to Vrak as a part of the plan, swearing to kill everyone he knew who was part of the rebellion. Vrak promised him safety if he could."

"So, Jordan…"

"Helped us build this shelter," Mrs. Carver said, "and then went back to Vrak to tell him he had finished us all off."

"So, Jordan really is on our side?" Emma asked, feeling her spirits lifting slightly.

"He played a big part in making all this happen. He's risking a lot. Rebecca as well. If Vrak finds out they've been lying to him all this time, he'll kill them like he did…"

"Like he did with mom?" Gia asked and the picture Rebecca showed her came to mind again. Jake put his arms around her and held her close. Mrs. Carver nodded her head.

"Yeah, like that. But it's not going to happen. Not again. Now that you're all here, we can work on sending you back."

Just then, from a doorway against the wall, someone walked in. The Rangers were alarmed, ready to defend themselves against the intruder until they saw it was only Emma's mother. She had a bag of fruits with her and it looked like she had just come from a market of some sort. Emma didn't bother asking about it. She ran to her mother and jumped into her arms. Mrs. Goodall dropped all the fruit, bruising them, to catch her daughter.

"Emma," she hugged her daughter tightly and couldn't stop herself from crying, "You're back. It was true."

"Everyone's here," Mr. Carver said with a smile as he wrapped one arm around his son, but then looked sadly to the three remaining Rangers who didn't have their parents with them, particularly Jake. "It's finally time to stop this all from happening."

"I should get to work on the time machine right away," Noah said as he grabbed all his books. He had never tried to work on a time machine before, never believing it to be possible with the technology from his time, but he thought maybe his old notes would inspire him. "This could be a while, still. I don't have any idea what I'm doing."

"We'll help in any way we can," his parents smiled at him and took some of the books off his hands to lighten the load. Mrs. Goodall took Emma to the kitchen area so they could start unpacking the fruits she had brought home.

Ryan walked up to her brother and tugged on his pants. Troy looked down at her, smiling softly.

"Are you going to save us?" she asked. "No more Whack?"

"We're going to stop Vrak," he promised. "He's never going to hurt you again, I promise."

"We safe?"

"You're safe now."

"We play?"

"You want to play?"

"Play time," Ryan nodded her head and took Troy's hand. She started to run over to where the couch was, but tripped when she was halfway there. Troy kept her from hitting the ground by holding her hand. Ryan then ran the rest of the way to the couch and climbed up on the cushion.

Troy then saw an odd sight. When Ryan was up on the cushion she had to stop to catch her breath. He knew it wasn't likely Vrak was feeding her a proper diet, but she was still four years old and the jog from where they had been standing over to the couch wasn't very far.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" he asked her. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Me be okay, Toy. We play princesses. Me the Princess."

"Princesses?" Troy grumbled but he couldn't refuse his little sister. "Alright, princess, what's your first command?"

"No more meanies!" Ryan called out with a big smile.


	5. Dangerous Ideas

The sleep wasn't the best, but Troy had nothing to complain about. He was safe where he was and doubtful that Vrak would be able to find him or his friends. He wasn't sure. He could never be sure, but their shelter was unground and through a long and dark tunnel. It would be brilliant of Vrak to track the Rangers down in here.

The hard ground was what made it hard to sleep, but Troy had no complaints. He assumed Noah's parents and Emma's mother had been sleeping on the ground for years. A few nights wouldn't kill him.

What he would complain about was the noise coming from the blue Ranger. While everyone had gone to sleep, Noah was still up, working hard on figuring out a way to create a time machine using only the resources he had in the shelter. He didn't mean to wake anyone up, but he was cursing so much as he flipped through his notes and looked at his pile of tools that it was hard for Troy to ignore him and sleep through it.

"You should get some rest, Noah. You've got to know you can't keep this up."

"I know," Noah nodded his head and looked up from his notes, "It's just… this future sucks."

"That's why we're changing it," Troy said. "Once we get out of here, this isn't going to happen. We'll be back in our time and we'll stop Vrak from doing all this. It'll be different, you'll see."

"Everyone's acting like we'll win, though," Noah sighed and shook his head. "I mean, there's no question, we need to pull this off, but what if we can't. I've tried our morphers, Troy, and in this time we have no powers. The command center is gone; Tensou is nothing but a pile of scrap. Gosei's gone. If no one's been able to do anything up until now… what can we do?"

"We have to try, Noah. We're doomed if we don't. Our only chance is if we try."

"I know. I know, and I'm not giving up, I'm just… being realistic. So far everyone's done a great job keeping this whole rebellion thing underground…"

"Literally," Troy chuckled.

"But what if Vrak's smarter than we all think? What if he knows about all this?"

"I don't know, but we can't let that thought stop us."

"What about when we make a move?" Noah asked and then gestured to the pile, "There's no way I can build a time machine with all this junk. We have to go back to Vrak's palace. We need more tools and technology. Vrak's got them. He's definitely got them."

"Which means we need to sneak back inside."

"That's why I'm worried," Noah said. "If Vrak finds out, we can't stop him. We're powerless."

"Not powerless."

"Troy, our morphers…"

"Gosei didn't pick us because we were Rangers," Troy shook his head and looked Noah in the eyes, "He picked us to be Rangers because of who we are. We're not powerless, we're just without power."

"Remind me to give you a lesson on suffixes," Noah rolled his eyes. "Troy, I'm not giving up, I'm just saying this is a lot of pressure. I mean, it's hard enough building a time machine, but how are we going to get one to work without going back and putting this whole plan at risk of failing. People have put their lives in harm's way for this. People have died for this plan. We can't let it fail."

"We won't. We'll try everything," Troy said. "You'll stay here. Keep working on the time machine with whatever you can find here. Keep it going so that when we get back we'll have the quickest escape possible."

"So who's going back, then?" Noah asked. "If I'm staying here, then the team is split up."

"You'll tell Gia what you need for the time machine. She'll remember it when we go in."

"You and Gia?"

"And Jake," Troy nodded his head. "I want a bigger team just in case Vrak spots us. We'll need the strength to get in and out."

"Emma's staying here?"

Troy looked over his shoulder at Ryan who was sleeping on the couch. He had to go on the mission. He was team leader and it was dangerous heading back to Vrak's palace. He couldn't ask his teammates to go in without him. But he also couldn't leave his sister alone.

"Emma's going to stay. I think she'll get along with Ryan while I'm gone. I'm not taking my four year old baby sister back to Vrak."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Troy. I mean, it is dangerous. You might not come back."

"We might never go home if we don't try," Troy said and he put his hand on Noah's shoulder. "Get some sleep. We'll tell the others about this in the morning."

Noah nodded his head and he closed his books for the night. There was nowhere for him to sleep but on the floor, so he lied down and made himself as comfortable as possible before passing out.


	6. The Invading Army

Getting away from Vrak's palace had been dangerous, but Jake now found himself heading back. He knew it had to be done. He knew it was the only way to get home, but he didn't like it.

"You know," he whispered as he followed Troy and Gia down a long hallway, avoiding human and Loogie guards as much as possible, "We're officially dead if he finds us, right?"

"Shh, nothing's going to happen," Gia said, reaching back to take his hand. "We get in, get what we need, and get out."

"Yeah, but this is Vrak we're talking about. He's a master villain. He's created clones and a time machine! He rules the Earth."

"Stop worrying, Jake and focus," Troy said. "We need to find out where Vrak keeps all his… things. He's got to have a room or a lab. You don't take over the planet with just an iron fist."

"Hey, guys, I smell something," Jake let go of Gia's hand and wandered down a long hallway. He followed his nose to the door at the very end. Carefully, he pushed it open and peaked inside. Gia and Troy hurried after him, not wanting to split up.

"Jake…"

"Guys, the kitchen," Jake said and he licked his lips as he smelt meat cooking on one of the stoves. He had no idea what type of meat it was, but he was hungry. All they had at the shelter to eat were fruits.

"We'll eat when we get home," Gia pulled him away, "C'mon, that's not the room we're looking for."

"Vrak would keep anything important locked away somewhere even his Loogies wouldn't find it. We need to keep looking."

Troy let his small team back to the hall they came from and then continued on their way. Troy figured that if there was a lab full of equipment they could use, it would have to be somewhere higher up in the palace, away from the public eye. As the number of guards started to fall, Troy felt he was on the right path.

"Start checking the doors," he told Jake and Gia. "We should be able to find something."

Quietly, they peeked into room, opening doors that had been unlocked and keeping track of the ones that weren't. Eventually, Troy opened a door and found exactly what he was looking for.

"Gia, Jake," he whispered and waved them over. He opened the door wider as they all walked in.

"Whoa, mega lab," Jake looked around and his jaw fell in awe. "Man, if Noah were here, he'd be so jealous."

"This place is… something," Gia had a look at the computers, the machines, and even peeked inside a few books. "We're going to be able to find everything we need here."

"Well, start looking," Troy ordered and took his bag off his back to grab everything he could. Noah had told them the types of tools and pieces to look for, Troy figured he would take everything that wasn't bolted down, just in case they could find some use for it, and so that it would no longer be in Vrak's hands. Anything that looked powerful or dangerous or useful went into his bag.

Jake was a little lost as he looked around. He spent hours with Noah in his garage lab, but nothing had prepared him for what he saw in here. Vrak's technology was far more advanced than anything a human could create. The black Ranger couldn't even begin to figure what everything was. He just knew he needed to take as much as possible from Noah's list.

Gia filled her bag with what she remembered Noah asking for. His list wasn't too specific, and it required Troy, Jake, and herself bring home whatever they could find that was closest to what Noah needed, but surely there was more than enough in the lab to help Noah create a time machine. She put what she needed in the bag and then dug around, hoping she could find some dirt in Vrak.

"What's this?" she opened a cabinet and the stumbled back with a gasp. There were jars and jars of human remains. Fingers, toes, an ear, bones, a hand, and a brain were sealed tight and preserved. Gia felt she had a strong stomach, but even she had a hard time keeping her breakfast down. Unfortunately, her curiosity got the best of her and she reached in, grabbing the jar with the brain.

"He's a sick son of a bitch," she said as Jake and Troy looked over to see what she had found. She showed them the jar, "He's keeping this stuff."

"That's gross," Jake shook his head and turned away, "Put it back. We don't need a brain to make a time machine. We've got Noah's."

"It must be his victims," Troy walked over. "You know Vrak. He likes calculated moves. If he's going to control an entire species, he'll likely want to know how we work. I guess this is the best way he can study them."

"This is disgusting," Gia gagged slightly as she put the brain back on the shelf, but then stopped when she saw a tag at the bottom of the jar. She wanted to ignore her curiosity but she couldn't. She tilted the jar to see what Vrak had marked on the tag.

The jar dropped out of her hands. Gia froze. She was pale.

"Gia?"

The jar shattered when it hit the ground, spilling the brain and the liquid it had been preserved in. Troy could no longer read what had been on the tag because it had been ruined when the jar broken, but it was something that had gotten to Gia.

"What's happening?" Jake asked after hearing the jar break. "C'mon, guys, be careful."

"No… No, no, no!" Gia grabbed the other jars on the shelves and checked the tags before tossing them all aside. Her cries grew more and more frantic. "NO!"

"Gia!" Jake rushed over to her and grabbed her, taking her into his arms. "Gia, it's okay. We're going to stop this. It's okay."

As he comforted her, Troy reached for the last remaining jar on the shelf. He checked the tag and his heart sunk. He showed it to Jake.

"Moran, V… oh, god!"

"We've got enough," Troy put his bag on his shoulders and then picked up Gia's. "We should go back, before…"

"Vrak finds you?"

His voice made the room colder. The three Rangers turned to the door and saw Vrak standing in their way. Behind him was an army of Loogies, waiting for his command.

"Did you really think I had no idea you wouldn't try to come here? Did you really think I'd leave this room open?"

"You're not getting away with this, Vrak," Troy stood before both his teammates and tried to look confident, though the discovery of the body parts was making him look and feel sick. "We're going home."

"I know about the rebellion. Do you think I'm stupid, Rangers? Did you think I wouldn't notice all five of my prisoners had escaped? Loogies!"

"Stop it! Let me go!" Rebecca screamed as she was brought into the room by a couple of Loogies and then forced to fall on her knees in front of Vrak. He knelt before her.

"You let them escape."

"They were there when I dropped off the bread. I don't know what…"

"Liar!" Vrak took one of the blades off his Loogies and held it to her throat, "You have one more chance."

"Stop him, Troy!" Rebecca turned to her brother and the Rangers, "No matter what, you have to stop him! I'll be…"

She didn't finish. Vrak swung the blade and took her head off. Troy immediately lunged for the evil Lord but he was grabbed by Loogies as they swarmed the room. When the Loogies had the Rangers pinned to the ground, Vrak stepped over each of them.

"I'm offering you three one more chance. Either you can give yourselves to me and you can live out the rest of your pathetic lives as my loyal servants or you'll die slowly and painfully, as an example to all other humans out there who believe you still have what it takes to bring me down."

None of the Rangers answered so Vrak made the call for them, "Take them downstairs. Make sure they don't get away."

As the Loogies dragged away the Rangers, Vrak stayed inside the room. He picked up their bags, which they had left behind.

"Jordan?"

"Yes."

"Take these," Vrak offered the bags to Jordan but just as he was about to take them, Vrak pulled them away, "Are you sure you're on the right side? You know the punishment if you betray me."

"I'm no idiot. You promise you'll keep Emma alive if I serve you?"

"One Ranger alive is no threat to me. Especially after she watches me destroy all her friends. You'll have your pet, safe and sound," Vrak tossed the bags to Jordan, "Now, put these somewhere secure. We don't want another break in."

"Yes," Jordan took all three bags and put them over his shoulder as he watched Vrak leave. He looked down at Rebecca's body and knew it wouldn't be long before Vrak sent someone to clean her up. Then he turned to the window.

"I'm no idiot, Vrak," he climbed out the window and carefully scaled the sides of the palace until he reached the balcony for his room. He climbed inside and walked to his bed. He reached underneath and took out a box. He then opened the box and smirked to himself.

"I should be an undercover cop," he said. He took out extra technology he had stolen from Vrak over the years and put them in the bags.

He was glad he had given himself to Vrak right from the start. To prove his loyalty, he had done many things he wasn't proud of, but if it accomplished his goal of sending the Rangers back to the past he didn't need to worry about it.

Jordan looked at the bag. He could only hope this plan would work. All the blood on his hands, the people he hurt, it had to stop.

"Thanks for this, Mrs. Moran," he smiled as he looked up. Vrak hadn't just captured Mrs. Moran, Jordan had turned her in. He had to get Vrak to trust him so he could help the Rangers as much as possible when they returned. When it became obvious the initial rebellion would fail, Jordan had no choice but to make it look like he had turned on Mrs. Moran and he handed her over to Vrak, swearing his loyalty and promising to take down the Rangers upon their return. Vrak foolishly trusted Jordan was too much of a coward to continue fighting, and was overconfident in his empire, believing it was unstoppable.

Then, only moment ago just to reinforce the idea in Vrak's mind that Jordan was truly and forever on his side, Jordan had ratted Rebecca out, alerting him to the fact that the Rangers had escaped and he had seen Rebecca going into the prison with the different keys. He had not done so without warning Rebecca, but the sacrifice still weighed heavily on his heart. More than anything, he wanted to make this future right again.

With the extra technology in the bags, as well as everything Troy, Gia, and Jake had collected, Jordan climbed out the window.


	7. Planning A Rescue

Jordan slipped into the narrow entrance of the tunnel and then pulled his bags inside. When he was in, he covered up the hole as much as possible, not wanting to be followed. Then he took a flashlight out of his pocket and started running until he reached the hole in the ground. He jumped in.

"Honeys, I'm home," he cried out and was greet by surprised, but happy faces, especially from Emma, who dropped what she was doing to help Noah with his machine and ran into his arms. Jordan hugged her tightly. It had been four long years since he had been with her, and there was no one he had missed more.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked him and looked at him worriedly, "I thought you had to work for Vrak. I thought…"

Jordan dumped Gia's, Jake's, and Troy's bags down.

"I had to give Vrak an ego boost. It's the only thing that's going to take him down. All the parts you'll need to make a time machine are here."

Noah opened the bags and his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning, "This is amazing! Vrak had all this lying around?"

"He let me help with some of his experiments," Jordan nodded. "I can stay here and help you figure out what all these parts can be used for. I've learned a lot in four years."

"That would be awesome," Noah smiled and then looked to Emma, Mrs. Goodall, and his parents, "Sorry, guys, but this is a better deal."

"We're better off helping somewhere else," Mr. Carver said to his son. "I haven't understood a word from your mouth all day, anyways."

"Wait, these are the guys' bags," Emma frowned and turned to Jordan, "Where are they?"

"Like I said, I had to give Vrak an ego-boost," Jordan looked down sadly at Emma. "The Loogies had just found out you guys escaped, and I knew Vrak would catch you if you ever came back to the palace. When Rebecca said she saw Jake, Gia, and Troy peeking into the kitchen, I had no choice. I told Vrak about them before the Loogies could."

"You… you turned them over to Vrak!" Emma shrieked and backed away from Jordan. There was nothing in her eyes but fear and betrayal. Jordan stepped in closer to her, but she moved away again.

"Emma, Vrak's not going to kill them without a crowd," he reassured her and reached his hand out to take hers but she pulled away from him. "We have time to get them back."

"You… you're working for him, aren't you?" Emma asked. "You're going to go back there and tell him all about this…"

"Emma, if I wanted to tell Vrak all about this, I'd have done so three years ago when the resistance fell!" Jordan told her. "I want you back in the right time. I want you to come home. All that matters is getting that time machine to work!"

"Not if Noah and I are the only two going through it!" Emma cried and smacked him in the chest, "We can't stop Vrak! We'll just end up here… or worse!"

"There'll be no hope to this future ending," Noah pointed out. "Jordan, how could you…?"

"Look, I've been living with Vrak for years now," Jordan said. "I know what he's like. I know what I've got to do to trick him. Troy, Jake, and Gia are going to be fine."

Noah dropped his tools and shook his head, "Until they're back, I'm not working on this time machine," he said and looked to Emma to see if she would stand with him. She nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, Jordan, but I'm with him on this one. We're not going back to our time unless our friends are with us. There would be no point."

"We have time to build the time machine and get them back! The less Vrak suspects something's up, the better off we are for getting you guys home. He can only find out at the last minute."

"So, what, until then Troy, Jake, and Gia need to suffer?" Noah shook his head. "No, I'm not having that. I'd rather fight Vrak and fall to his power than leave my best friend and teammates in his hands."

"I'd rather have you in Vrak's clutches," Emma growled to Jordan.

"Kids, look," Mrs. Goodall called out, pulling her daughter away from Jordan and then shaking her head, "We're getting nowhere with all this fighting. The time machine isn't being built, and no one's being rescued. We've got our hand, and while it may not be a good one, it's one we have to work with, so let's come up with a plan to…"

"Vrak's got Gia, mom!" Emma screamed. "He's killed both her parents already and he's made it clear he loves messing with her head! Vanessa wouldn't want this!"

"Emma, calm down," Mrs. Goodall pulled her daughter into her arms, "We're getting them home, I promise. We just need to find a way."

"But mom…"

"We're going to find a way," Mrs. Goodall promised her.

"We've got friends working undercover inside Vrak's palace," Mr. Carver assured the young Rangers.

"Friends like Jordan?" Emma asked and snapped a glaring look at her boyfriend. "Great, so they're really screwed!"

"Friends who'll do anything to see to it you five get back home," Mrs. Carver smiled. "They've lost a lot to Vrak too. Trust me when I say these friends are determined."

"It can't undo what Jordan's done, though," Emma turned to Jordan as tears filled her eyes. He tried to move in closer to her. She turned away from him.

"Emma, I'm sorry, but we need to survive. Vrak's… smart. If we didn't do this… he'd know."

"He's distracted with them for now," Mr. Carver said, "I think Jordan may be on to something. It was only a matter of time before Vrak realized you kids escaped his prisons. Now that he's got three of you back, he'll be distracted with them long enough for us to get the time machine running."

"Not if we're not working on it," Noah shook his head and kicked at the bags Jordan brought home. "Getting Jake and the others home is my top priority."

"And how are you going to do that without a time machine?" his father asked him, looking him in the eyes. "Claire's right, Noah, we've been dealt a hand and now we have to play with it. My heart is breaking for Jake. I made a promise to his father I'd keep him safe, but that's not going to happen without this time machine. You need to work on it."

"But dad…"

"The best thing you can do for Jake is build him his ride home!" his father snapped. "Now, you can either go back into that castle and risk your life trying to save your friends, and ultimately risk our only hope of you Rangers even going back in time to stop Vrak, or you can stay here and work on this time machine and trust your best friend has what it takes to come back home."

Noah looked up at his father and tried not to show his tears. He wiped them away with the back of his wrist.

"But if he's dead…"

"It won't matter if that time machine doesn't work," Mr. Carver said gently as he hugged his son. "Please, Noah, the whole world is counting on you."

"In the meantime," Mrs. Goodall said as she looked at Emma, "You and I are going into that palace. You're right, sweetheart, we can't let Gia and the boys suffer. I'd rather be dead than ignore Vanessa's wishes."

"I'll go with you," Jordan offered. Emma shook her head.

"You've done enough, traitor…"

"Emma, I'm your way in. Vrak trusts me…"

"Because you're on his side!" Emma screamed. Jordan stepped forward and grabbed her before she could pull away.

"I'm on your side! I'm the reason we're all still alive right now," he told her. "And if Vrak finds you, I'm going to be the one person who can keep you from death. I can get you and your mother into his palace. That'll be key to getting your friends out alive."

"They're your friends too," Emma muttered. "At least, they were."

"They are. I'm sorry, Emma."

"Whatever," Emma snapped. "Just get us into the palace. At least you'll do something right."

Jordan rolled his eyes and sighed, but he could understand her frustration. Things did look pretty bad, and if she had been the one to turn his best friend over to Vrak, he would be pretty pissed off too. But he did wish she would trust him a little more. He had been living with Vrak for much longer than she even knew the alien for.


	8. Vrak's Prison

Vrak was inside his palace, in the dungeon, listening to the screams of his prisoners as he hurt them. He had waited four long years for this day, and finally three of the pesky Megaforce Rangers were at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to them and they were in no position to defy him.

He walked up to the black Ranger, who hung from the ceiling by his wrists. His clothes were torn and blood seeped through both the rips in the fabric and the tears in his skin. He hung his head low, not daring to look Vrak in the eyes.

"Not so brave now, huh, black Ranger. I'll bet you wished you never stood against me in the first place."

"You're not getting away with this, Vrak," Jake growled. "You may have us trapped here, but I don't ever regret standing against you! You're just a monster."

"I've already gotten away with it," Vrak smirked. "Four years ago, when I rid the planet of you and your pathetic team, I got everything I wanted. I destroyed you Rangers and your powers. I turned on my own allies. I am the most powerful being in this universe. What makes you think you can stop me?"

"We'll find a way," Troy said from a little ways over, where he was caught in the same position as Jake. "You're underestimating us Rangers. We never give up. There's a way to bring you down and we're going to find it."

"Cute," Vrak chuckled. "But you humans have already tried to take me down, and look where it's gotten you! You may have some friends left, but there is no one strong or smart enough to stop me."

"You're arrogant, Vrak," Troy scoffed and looked the alien right in the eyes, "It's going to get you killed."

"Dear boy, you have no idea how wrong you are," Vrak tapped Troy on the cheek before he heard the clatter of chains. He turned to the yellow Ranger, seeing there was still some fight in her as she struggled to free herself. He didn't do anything to stop her. He just watched.

"Ooh, so close," he smirked as she let her body fall, submitting to the chains that held her up. "You know, yellow Ranger, you were almost there. I tremble with worry."

Gia looked up at him and spit in his face. The red saliva hit him in the eye, which not only caused him pain, but made him angry. He lashed out and wrapped his hand around her neck until she was blue in the face.

"Stop it!" Jake cried as his chains rattled, telling Vrak he was fighting to be freed. "Let her go!"

Vrak pulled Gia's face in closer to his own, "You will die painfully like your mother, and I'll leave your parts to rest with hers, I promise you that much, yellow Ranger."

With that, he let her go. Gia gasped for breathe as he backed away and then, before he was too far, she spit at him again. She missed, but her intention was there. Vrak looked for a moment, his gaze burning into her, and then turned away.

"Prepare them for execution!" he cried out and then left the prison so he could get himself ready for the big show. As he walked out, Loogies came in and covered their heads with bags. Troy tried to shake his off, but they were tapped around his neck. He couldn't see anything.

"Alright, help's got to come soon," Jake muttered. "This, seriously, sucks."

"We'll be fine, guys, just keep a calm head," Troy said. "Vrak's going to make a mistake at some point, and we need to be able to slip away."

"More like run away," Jake said. "I'm taking the first chance to get out of here."

"You can't do that alone," a voice said and suddenly the chains around their wrists loosened and all three Rangers hit the ground. It was painful, and they were sure to get a new collection of bruises from the fall, but if it meant a way out, it was worth it.

"Who's there?" Troy asked before he felt a hand touch his face over the bag.

"Really, you don't recognize me?" the voice giggled. "Silly, Troy."

"R… Riley?"

"We'll help you guys get out. Sammie, are you bringing the scissors? Hurry up!"

"I can't run with scissors," someone – Sammie – answered. "I'm moving as fast as I can."

"This time is the exception," Riley groaned. "Just get over here."

It was a moment before Troy saw light coming through his bag as scissors came in front of his face. They were very welcomed though when the bag fell away and he saw Riley looking down at him with a smile.

And then a frown, "Whoa… what happened to you? Your face looks gross."

"Very funny," Troy grumbled and then he felt someone working on his wrists. He glanced down and saw a young boy who seemed no older than his sister Ryan.

"That's Jesse," Riley told him. "My little brother."

"Jesse?" Troy could only stare at the little boy once his hands were freed. Jesse gave him a big smile.

"You're going to save us, right?"

Troy nodded. It was all he could do.

"Stop moving," a young boy told Jake as he cut through the bag with the pair of scissors Sammie handed him. "I'll cut your eyeball out."

"Whoa, that would be so cool!" another voice, a little younger, said. Jake shook his head when he saw the bag falling away and then he looked to the two boys.

"Who are you guys?" he asked while they started to work on getting the chains off his wrists.

"I'm Terran," the older boy said and then he pointed to his partner, "This is my cousin Felix. We're Samurai!"

"You're the Samurai's kids," Jake looked between the two of them, "No… no way. How did you…?"

"Our parents hid us when Vrak took over," Riley explained. "They told us to stay hidden until things calmed down a bit. Then we got really lucky. A lady took us in."

"What lady?" Troy asked. Riley turned to Gia, whose bag was the last to be cut from her head.

"Her mother."

When Gia could see again, she couldn't believe who was in front of her. She recognized the little face immediately.

"Quinn?"

"Hi, Gia," Quinn smiled and then threw her arms around the yellow Ranger, "You're okay now. It's my turn to save you from Vrak. I promise I'll protect you."

"But… but…" Gia felt the chains fall away from her wrists and looked down, seeing little hands had set her free. When the youngest girl looked up at her with a big smile, Gia recognized her again.

"My name is Gia too!" she said happily.

"Samantha Gia," Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's called a middle name."

"So?" Sammie looked at her cousin.

"Guys, come on, we have to focus," Riley groaned and then shook her head as she turned to Troy, "I don't think you understand how hard it is to work with kids. Last night, when I was talking to them about this, they giggled every time someone said but!"

"Yeah, it's tough," Troy told her and then tried to stand, but his legs and knees made it very clear they didn't like that idea. He would have fallen face first on the ground, but Riley caught him.

"Vrak really hurt you, didn't he?"

"We just have to get home," Troy said and looked on either side of him, "Jake, Gia, how are you guys?"

"We're not going anywhere fast," Jake said as he took tried to get up, only to suffer the same fate as Troy. "If Vrak comes back…"

"You let us worry about Vrak," Terran said and smacked his fist into his hand. Felix nodded and tried to do the same as his older cousin, but he missed his own hand completely and sighed.

"Aw…"

Terran rolled his eyes and then turned back to the Rangers, "You guys just have to worry about getting out of here."

"How are you going to handle Vrak?" Jake asked him. "You're what? Four?"

"Six!" Terran stomped his foot, "Six and a half! And if it weren't for us, you'd still be up there."

Terran pointed up to the ceiling. Jake nodded. He couldn't argue with that.

"Alright, then, get us out of here," he tried to get up again and this time had to force every part of his body to ignore the pain. Terran and Felix helped him as much as they could.

"You have to be strong, Troy," Riley said as she helped the red Ranger up to his feet. Jesse stuck close, just in case Troy needed the extra help. "You're almost at the end. If we can get you guys out of here and to the time machine, everything's going to be right again."

"Here," Quinn offered her hand to Gia. She wasn't all that big. Sammie was even smaller, but Gia appreciated the intention. She took the little girls' hands and forced herself to stand without putting too much weight on them. Quinn and Sammie stuck very close to her and kept a tight hold on her hands as they all started to walk out of the prison.

"Uh, oh!" Riley cried as soon as they stepped out, "Quick! Hide!"

The footsteps echoing down the stairs meant danger. While Riley and Jesse led Troy behind a door, taking shelter in a small, dark room, Terran and Felix took Jake under the stairs and signaled for him to stay very quiet. He didn't need to be told twice, and wrapped his arms around the little boys to protect them.

Quinn and Sammie were the last to find a spot to hide, but managed to squeeze in under a blanket with Gia and blend in with all the boxes that were covered by the blanket. Like Jake did with the boys, Gia wrapped the little girls in her arms.

The echoes of the footsteps were louder until they hit the floor. Then they moved away from all three hiding places and a door creaked open. In her arms, Gia felt little Sammie shiver.

"What if he catches us?" she whispered in Gia's ear. Gia kissed her forehead and signalled for her to be quiet.

"What?" it was a roar from Vrak. He was angry. "How the… what… traitors! Loogies!"

It sounded like a stampede as the Loogies rushed down the stairs. Vrak called out to all of them.

"The Rangers have escaped! They can't have gone far! Block off all the doors! Get all the humans in the palace to gather in my throne room. No one walks out of here alive! I want the planet wiped out!"

The stampede of Loogies hurried up the stairs. All Rangers and children held their breaths until the last echo faded. Then there was only Vrak. The door to the prison slammed shut before he was off.

No one moved a muscle, even long after he was gone. Not until they heard a little cry.

"Sammie," Terran left Jake's arms and ran across the landing at the bottom of the stairs to find his sister until the blanket. He took her in her arms and held her close, "It's going to be okay, Sammie. We found the Rangers, now. They'll save the world."

"I… I don't want… I want mommy!"

"Me too," Terran hugged his sister tight. "We'll… we'll get mommy back. We have to help the Rangers and… and then everything is going to be okay."

"Vrak's blocking the doors," Riley kicked the ground as she came out of hiding with Jesse and Troy. "We can't get out of here now. We need to find somewhere to hide until he's distracted."

"There's one place Vrak will never look," Gia said and forced herself to stand in spite of all the pain, and then she leaned over and took Sammie in her arms, hugging her close. She walked back to the door of their prison, "C'mon, guys, it'll be safe in here."

"Um, Gia, we have to get you out of there," Riley said.

"Until things die down in here, this is the safest place to be," Gia held the door open, "Inside, everyone."

Troy nodded his head and indicated for everyone to follow Gia's orders. Once they were safely inside, Gia closed the door and dropped to her knees. Terran rushed over and took his sister from her arms. Sammie was trying very hard to hold back her tears and Terran didn't like seeing his sister upset.

"You remember what we have to do, right Sammie?" he looked her right in the eyes. "No matter what, we have to get the Rangers back home."

Sammie nodded her head and wiped away the tears from her wet eyes, "But… but Vrak's scary… if he finds us…"

"I don't like this game of hide and seek," Jesse shook his head as he agreed with his cousin.

"C'mon, guys, we're Samurai," Riley put her foot down, "Grow up and act like it! We have a mission. We can't let our parents or Vanessa down! We have too much at stake not to pull this off."

"We're going to be okay," Quinn put her hand on Sammie's shoulder.

"But what if he hurts me?" Sammie asked.

"As long as the Rangers get home, he'll never be able to hurt us," Riley said. "No matter what, we have to keep fighting."

"Even if we're scared," Terran smiled at his little sister. "That's what Samurai do. That's what mommy would have done."

"O… okay," Sammie nodded her head and clung to her brother.

Troy, Jake, and Gia were touched and terrified by what they heard. They knew the most important part of the mission was getting them home, no matter the cost, but now they were depending on children, babies almost, to get them to safety. Gia reached out and pulled Quinn and Sammie back into her arms, holding them both softly.

"It's going to be okay," she promised them both. "I won't let anything happen to any of you."

"We won't let anything happen to you," Quinn looked up at Gia with bright, innocent eyes and a sweet smile. She wrapped her arms around Gia. "We'll take care of you."


	9. Found

The time to strike was coming up, though Emma really hoped it wouldn't come to that, she was bracing herself for the possibility as she, her mother, and Jordan readied themselves to head back to his palace. Her morpher no longer worked, so she didn't dare take it with her. She wouldn't risk it getting lost and forgetting it in the future. She paced back and forth, trying to breathe as much as possible so she would stay calm.

Until she felt a tug on her shorts, and looked down at little Ryan. The poor girl had woken up that morning complaining she felt ill, and had been sleeping all day to rest it off. Judging by her look, it seemed that wasn't working. Emma lifted her and held her gently in her arms.

"We'll save Troy," she assured. "I promise."

Ryan coughed and then rested her head on Emma's shoulder. Already, Emma could feel the little girl growing weaker. She walked her back over to the couch and lay her down gently.

"I'll be back as soon as I can…"

Emma tried to leave, but Ryan held her hand.

"Sick," she said. "Don't leave."

Mrs. Carver walked over and put her hand on Ryan's forehead. She was burning up and looked very, very ill for a four year old. While Mrs. Carver never had to live in Vrak's palace, she had heard it wasn't a life of luxury. Vrak gave his workers only enough to survive, and felt all humans were disposable, especially when they were young. He worked them hard and fed them what was left from the kitchen at the end of the day. When Mrs. Goodall presented Ryan with some fruits the night before, the little girl's face light up with joy as she bit into the apple hungrily and commented it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Mrs. Carver knew from experience four year olds did not put apples at the top of the list as their favourite foods. Something was wrong, and unfortunately, it was too late to correct it.

"Let me make you a fruit salad, sweetheart," Mrs. Carver said and then walked off to the bag of fruits and slowly pulled them from the bag, glancing over to Ryan as she did so. Mrs. Goodall, who noticed her daughter, was tending to the ill child, walked over to the couch. She picked Ryan up in her arms and held her on her lap.

"I used to sing this to Emma when she was really little," Mrs. Goodall whispered to Ryan as she rocked her. "She loved this song. Do you want to hear it?"

Ryan smiled and nodded her head.

"We've got to go," Jordan announced from the exit. Emma looked up at him and then down at Ryan. She wanted to save her friends, but she had a bad feeling in her stomach. Ryan was still holding her hand, and didn't let go. Emma couldn't leave her just yet. She shook her head at Jordan and smiled at Ryan.

"Try to sleep," she smiled. "And when you wake up, I promise, you'll have your big brother back."

"Will the meanies be gone?"

"They'll never hurt you again."

"And I won't be sick?"

"Everything's going to be better," Emma promised. She gave Ryan's little hand a gentle squeeze while her mother started singing gently to the little girl. Emma listened to the tune carefully and felt the odd combination of her heart warming and breaking at the same time while her mother gently rocked a smiling Ryan to sleep.

At least, Emma pretended it was sleep as Ryan's hold on her hand fell away.

" … _The sweet serenity; sooth my mind; sooth my soul…"_ Mrs. Goodall closed Ryan's eyes and kissed the little girl gently on the forehead before laying her down on the couch.

"Come on," Mrs. Goodall said as she got up and held out her hand to Emma, "We're stopping this."

"We can't waste any more time," Jordan nodded his head. Emma butt shoulders with him as she walked by.

"Time wasn't wasted."

"Emma…"

"Let's get the others back," Emma said and then looked over to Noah, "Get that time machine up and running for when we get back. We're not spending a moment longer here than we have to."

"With these new pieces, I'll have it done quickly," Noah promised. "Just focus on bringing the others back."

"Top priority," Mrs. Goodall promised.

-Megaforce-

"When do we fight?"

Jake looked over to Felix, who was pacing around the prison impatiently. Jake could feel his anxiety. It was hard waiting around for the right moment, knowing they would never be sure of when it was, but they had to stay low for as long as possible.

"You don't fight. We don't need to fight. We're just getting home," he said. "No one's fighting, and no one is getting hurt."

He looked over at the other kids, most of whom were pressed up against the door trying to listen for footsteps. They wanted to be warned if they needed to run.

"This will only work for so long," Riley said. "How are you guys feeling? If you're strong enough to run, we can't waste any more time. Vrak's going to turn this place upside down and eventually he'll be back here."

"She's right," Troy said. "We need as much of a head start as we can get. Jake, Gia, we'll rest once we're back in our time."

"Easier said than done," Jake stretched out his muscles, seeing how far he could push himself.

"I know, but we can't sit here forever. Gia?"

"I'm all for stopping this," she nodded and picked herself up from the ground. Troy followed next, getting a little help from Riley.

"Alright, alright, I'll give into peer pressure this time," Jake said as he pulled himself up to his feet. "Okay, yeah, I'll be feeling this tomorrow morning… or… four years ago morning… man, I hate time."

"Stay close to us, kids," Gia said as she took Quinn and Sammie's hands and peeked into the hallway just outside the door. There was no one on the stairs. Nodding to the boys that the coast was clear, she led the way out.

"We have to be quiet," Quinn told her, like Gia and the boys didn't already know. Gia nodded her head, though.

They made it all the way up the stairs this time before a patrol of Loogies walked by. Sammie, in her excitement to see daylight, was almost caught, but Terran rushed forward and grabbed her before she could walk out and be seen.

"Don't do that," he said, hugging her lovingly. "Be careful, okay? I'm not losing you too."

"Sorry, Terran," Sammie whispered to her brother.

"We'll need to move quickly," Troy said as he looked out, seeing a whole mess of Loogies walking up and down the halls. They couldn't be seen, or else the Loogies would report them to Vrak. Troy wasn't even sure about the humans anymore, and preferred to think he, Jake, Gia, and the kids were on their own than risk trusting someone who was too scared of Vrak to betray him again. He looked down at Riley and knew she understood it would be a quite sprint to the other side, but then glanced down at Jesse. "How about a race? You and me against your sister? First person to touch the wall on the other side wins."

"Wins what?"

"Life," Terran said.

"Just wins," Troy shook his head and glared down at the oldest boy.

"It's a quiet race too, Jesse," Riley bent down and looked her little brother in the eyes. "When you win, you can't shout it out, or else you lose. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Jesse nodded his head. Troy picked him up and carried him in his arms.

"Alright, Riley, on my count," Troy glanced out into the hallway and saw they had the perfect time to run, as all the Loogies were looking away from him. "Three, two, one, go!"

The two of them sprinted as quickly as their legs would carry them and made it over to the other side undetected. Jesse, believing himself and Troy to be the winners, threw his hands in the air but he didn't make a sound. Troy kissed his cheek and then he looked over to where Jake, Gia, and the rest of the kids were still hiding. He wouldn't leave without them.

"Go," Jake whispered to Gia.

"You go," Gia shook her head.

"But…"

"I'll watch your back."

"I'd rather watch yours."

"You don't get a choice, Holling," Gia shook her head and when she saw the moment was right she shoved Jake into the hallway. Knowing he, Felix, and Terran would be seen if they didn't run, he grabbed both the boys by the arm and ran to the other side with them. When they were safely across he turned back to Gia with a harsh glare.

"Not cool!" he whispered loudly. Gia groaned and smacked her hand to her forehead before grabbing her girls and pressing herself up against the wall, hiding as much as possible. On the other side, the boys and Riley did the same, but also all covered up Jake's mouth so he wouldn't say anything to give them away.

Several Loogies started looking around, having heard a noise, but they didn't see anything unusual. A few of them walked right by Gia, Quinn, and Sammie. They didn't have the sense to look down the hallway, but Sammie didn't know and got scared. She tried to keep it in as much as possible, but a little sob escaped her lips.

"Shit," Gia groaned as the Loogies turned around and looked right at her. They raised their blades, but she ducked and forced herself between them, pulling the girls along with her. She ran over to the other side but only until she was close enough to let go of Quinn and Sammie. Then she turned around and attacked the Loogies, sending them to the ground quickly. Before any of the others could see her, she disappeared into the shadows. The Loogies looked around, but they weren't the most observational of aliens as they missed her and continued their patrol once the way was clear. Gia snuck over to where the others were waiting for her. She scooped Sammie up in her arms to comfort her and then shoved Jake aggressively.

"What part of shut up don't you understand?"

"You pushed me!"

"Because I'm not losing you either, you moron!" Gia rolled her eyes before turning to Sammie, who was hugging her tightly. "Kid, c'mon, look up."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Gia smiled. "I'm scared too, okay? But we're going to be alright. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I'll be brave," Sammie promised. Gia set her down and looked to Troy.

"If we make it out of here alive, it'll be a miracle," he muttered. "C'mon, we've got to find our way out."

"We know where out is," Riley said. "Just follow us. And be quiet!"

"Sorry," Jake whispered.

-Megaforce-

"This is my room," Jordan announced as he led Emma and her mother to his balcony, and helped them climb in through the window. "From here, it's an easy walk down to the prison. That's where Vrak's keeping the others."

"Alive, right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. I haven't heard any talk of the execution happening," Jordan nodded his head and he walked to the door. He opened it, peeked down the hall and waved for the Goodalls to follow him. "C'mon, I'll lead the way. But be quiet."

"Oh, really?" Emma rolled her eyes, "I was just thinking it would be nice to stomp around this place and make as much noise as possible so Vrak would know I was here."

"Emma, I'm sorry…"

"You can't apologize for turning over my friends to the meanest… thing in the universe," Emma growled. "Just lead the way."

Jordan sighed, but did as he was told. He checked around every corner and behind every open door for signs of Loogies or Vrak, knowing they would kill him, Emma, and Mrs. Goodall if they saw them. As they were nearing the stairs for the prison, they were a little sound.

"Oof!"

Then the start of a cry.

"Shh, Jesse, it's just a scrape. We have to keep moving."

"Jesse," Mrs. Goodall smiled and rushed forward, past Jordan, and then around the corner. Emma's eyes widened as she took off after her mother.

"Mom are you…" she stopped and froze in place at the sight before her. Her friends weren't in the prison like Jordan promised. They were trying to get out of the palace. Though they looked to be in rough shape, they were alive.

"Thank goodness!" Emma ran forward right into Gia's arms and knocked her best friend off her feet. "You're okay?"

"Define okay," Gia groaned. "OW, Emma, I think you broke my butt."

The kids giggled a little bit.

"She said butt," Jesse explained to Riley, who was the only kid not laughing and rolling her eyes instead. She turned to Troy.

"I told you. They're impossible."

Mrs. Goodall, seeing the kids again for the first time in a long time dropped to her knees and pulled them all in for a hug, "You six are amazing! I know Vanessa would be so proud of you! You pulled it off!"

"And our parents?" Riley asked.

"They couldn't ask for a better group of little Samurai," Mrs. Goodall nodded her head and then looked up at the Megaforce Rangers, "Come on, it's time to go…"

A blast erupted, sending everyone flying off in different directions and sprawling them on the ground.


	10. Vrak's End

When the ringing in Gia's ears softened enough for her to hear what was going on around, she wasn't sure she preferred real life. All she could hear were the cries of screaming children and the groans of her teammates as they recovered from the blast. Looking up, she could see Vrak admiring his aim as Loogies swarmed everyone, especially the children. Still too weak to get up, there was nothing she could do about it.

Vrak approached the kids and didn't care that they had gotten hurt. He was furious they had betrayed them.

"The rules were simple," he said as he looked down at each and every one of them. "You _do not_ assist the Rangers. You serve me, and only me, until the day you die! I am your master!"

"You're just a bully!" Quinn pushed herself up to her knees and looked up at Vrak. She clenched her fists as the ground started to shake. Vines shot up from under Vrak's feet and wrapped themselves around him tightly, pinning him in place.

He tensed up as he recognized that power, and couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before.

"Rangers…"

"Samurai!" Quinn shouted and lifted her hand. "And you better watch out! No one taught me how to use this!"

A rock formed from thin air and smacked into Vrak, sending him flying off into the wall. Quinn dropped down to her knees, tired already, but she knew the fight was far from won.

"Stop it!" Riley jumped up to her feet and grabbed her cousin, "Quinn…"

"You said it," Quinn looked up at Riley, "We have to do whatever we can to get the Rangers home. Claire and Emma can take them home and we can distract Vrak!"

"I won't be wasting my time with you children," Vrak managed to wriggle out from Quinn's vines and recovered from being smacked with the boulder. He rose to his feet and walked to the closest Ranger. Gia looked up at him, feeling a sense of dread wash over her as he smirked down at her.

"Ending the yellow Ranger's family line," he said. "Oh, how sweet will this be when I kill the person your mother gave her life to protect."

"No!" Quinn shouted and started to run as Vrak summoned his weapon and raised it high. Quinn jumped at him, grabbing him by the leg and biting as hard as she could. Vrak let out a cry as little but sharp teeth embedded themselves into his leg and he dropped his weapon.

"Quinn, stop it!" Gia shouted and tried to get up. Quinn shook her head and spit after releasing Vrak's leg.

"You saved me once," she said.

"You really remember that?"

"Yep," Quinn smiled before she was taken by the hair and pulled from Vrak's leg. He didn't even try to be gentle as he lifted her and tossed her across the room.

"My sister!" Felix shouted and charged at Vrak with anger. The alien flicked his wrist and Felix was shot back by an invisible force.

"Hey!" Jake shouted as he tried to get up, but his muscles were too tired and sore, "Vrak, it's us you want! Leave the kids alone!"

"No, don't leave us alone!" Terran shouted and waved teasingly at Vrak, "You can't handle a bunch of babies, you stupid head!"

Terran blew a raspberry. Vrak growled and took a step towards him, but tripped over something. He stumbled but caught himself before he hit the ground and looked down only to find Sammie trying to stop him with a punch to the shin.

"Stay away from Terran you big meanie!"

"Hey, Sammie, I'm the big brother," Terran rolled his eyes, "I protect you!"

"Here!" Vrak picked Sammie up by the back of the neck and threw it over to Terran, knocking them both over.

"Hey, pick on a little kid closer to you own size!" Riley roared as she stood before Vrak.

Mrs. Goodall, who finally recovered from the blast, jumped up to her feet and then helped Emma up.

"The kids are doing what they can. We need to get out of here."

"But…"

"Emma, if you get out of here, it doesn't matter what happens to us. They're making a noble sacrifice, and it'll be wasted if we don't get you four to the time machine."

Emma looked sadly over to the kids, who were doing what they could to keep Vrak busy, and then up at her mother with a little nod. She ran to Troy to lift him up, seeing he was struggling with getting up to his feet while Mrs. Goodall helped Jake.

"To the door, it's on the right," she told the Rangers and then turned around to the fight. Gia was on the other side of Vrak, and Mrs. Goodall could already see the look in her eyes. It matched her mother's perfectly. Now, there was no choice.

"Hey, Vrak!" she called out, "Are you too much of a wimp you have to fight children?"

"Mom!" Emma cried. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you home," Mrs. Goodall said and turned back to Vrak, "C'mon, show me what you've got."

"Emma," Jordan got to his feet and joined her and the boys, helping them get closer to the door. "You can't think about the people you're leaving behind. Once Gia's over here…"

"NO!" Emma screamed as Vrak picked up his weapon and put it through her mother's stomach. Jordan grabbed her, knowing he was the only thing that would stop her confronting Vrak and getting herself killed.

"Nasty," Jake muttered.

"All traitors will be killed!" Vrak shouted as he pulled his weapon out from Mrs. Goodall and let her drop to the ground lifeless. Then he turned to the kids, seeing them all watching him with horror. As he roared, they all stepped back in complete fear except for one who was frozen. Sammie couldn't bring herself to move. Terran, seeing his sister was in trouble, ran forward to her but Vrak made it to her first. He grabbed her around the neck and then swung his weapon at Terran.

"NO!" Riley screamed as she watched her cousin fall in two pieces on the ground. She grabbed Jesse, Quinn, and Felix in her arms to hold them back, fearful the same would happen to them.

Vrak lifted Sammie off the ground by her neck and held her up high, embracing the look of panic not just on the four year old's face, but on her cousins' faces and the Rangers'. There was one face he didn't account for, and it cost him his third kill in a row as his feet were taken out from under him.

Sammie felt herself falling as Vrak let go of her neck, but she never hit the ground. A pair of arms caught her and lowered her to the ground gently.

"Run, kids," Gia said and shoved Sammie over to her cousins.

"We're supposed to protect you!" Quinn screamed.

Gia growled as she stood before Vrak, who picked himself up from the ground.

"Let me go!" Emma screamed to Jordan, who looked between the battle with Vrak and the door in completely confusion. Getting the Rangers home safe and sound was his top priority, and he couldn't possibly let Emma run to her death. At the same time, unless he did something, Vrak was sure to kill Gia.

"We've got to…" Jake started to run to the fight but Jordan called for him to stop.

"No! If you don't go home, all these people stay dead! All the kids! Your parents…"

"Go!" Gia shouted as she stared Vrak down, trying to anticipate his next move. She could see he wanted to kill her, but knew he had it in him to go after her friends. After all, there were three Rangers all in one group, open for the kill. Three Rangers was better than one.

"First, your father," Vrak smirked as he dropped his sword in exchange for a blaster. "Then, your mother."

"Let me guess. Me next?" Gia asked and glanced quickly at the exit.

"Your mother fought so hard to bring me down," Vrak smirked as he leveled the blaster at her. "Before she died, she swore I wouldn't have this power for much longer. She put all her faith, all her hopes on you. Do you have any idea, at all, how much your mother loved you? How much pain she was willing to endure for this cause? For you? How much she gave up just to give you, her only daughter, the only thing she had left in this world, a fighting chance?"

"Leave Gia alone!" Quinn screamed as a giant boulder formed in thin air once again and smacked him. Gia saw her opportunity and started to make a run for the door.

"Go!" she called to her teammates.

"Gia…"

"Run like hell, you idiot!" Gia screamed to Jake before she felt a piercing pain in her back. Jake, Troy, Emma, and Jordan all saw nothing but a bright light, and then a ball of fire consume her and left nothing behind but the echoes of her screams. When the smoke cleared there was nothing left. Vrak shattered Quinn's boulder and sent all the debris flying before laughing.

"Perfect aim."

"She's…" Emma felt everything leave her body as she collapsed into Jordan's arms. Jordan held her up and spun her around so she was facing him.

"Listen to me," he told her as he looked her dead in the eyes, "That's going to keep happening if you don't run."

"But Jordan…"

"I'm going to take care of this," Jordan promised her, "Just, please, Emma, stop this from happening…"

"Stop what! We can't… we can't stop this!" Emma screamed.

"She's dead!" Jake agreed. "Dude, it's over. We can't go back…"

"You can stop Vrak at four," Jordan nodded his head. "You're going to have to, guys. You can't give this up! Too many people died to see you get home. Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Goodall, Terran, and Gia included! Put your grief aside now and run!"

"One down," Vrak taunted the Rangers as he leveled his blaster again, but was taken off his feet by a powerful force.

"GO!" Jordan shouted and shoved Emma to the door. She looked back, over her shoulder, and then made the toughest decision of her life.

"There's nothing more we can do," Troy assured her before she started running, with the two boys right behind her. Now, it was just a race to make it back home before Vrak could catch them.

Inside the palace, Jordan stood in front of the door and watched the fight between the kids and Vrak. He wasn't normally one to put kids in harm's way, but he had no other choice.

"Kid his butt, Samurai!" he called out to them and then took off running, finding the stairs that would lead him to a room that would hopefully help the Rangers fix everything.

As Felix, Jesse, and Sammie used all their strength to keep Vrak from going after the Rangers, Riley took a risk and grabbed Quinn, pulling her aside. Quinn tried to fight. She wanted to get back at Vrak for killing her cousin and the yellow Ranger, but Riley held her back.

"You're the only double Samurai," she told Quinn, "You have enough power to stop him."

"I want to!" Quinn screamed. "Let me go! I can do this!"

"You need to know how, Quinn," Riley grabbed her arms. "Throwing rocks at him won't work. You need to use all the Symbol Power you have!"

"I can't!"

"You can!" Riley nodded. "Auntie Emy and Uncle Mike were two of the best Samurai. They let nothing stop them, and always did the right thing, even if it was hard. If they could figure out how to stop Xandred, you can stop Vrak."

"I…"

"You are your parents, Quinny," Riley smiled. "Please… Quinn, it's going to take everything, and it's going to hurt, but if we can stop him, then the Rangers can get home safely. You'll have your parents back. We all will."

"It'll hurt?"

"Yeah, probably a lot."

"It'll take everything?"

"I'm proud of you, Quinny," Riley nodded her head. "Your mommy and daddy would be too. I know it's a lot to ask but…"

"What do I do?"

Riley turned Quinn around so she was watching the fight, "Kill him."

Quinn closed her eyes and felt the power building up inside of her. Soon, it was almost too much, and she had to fall to her knees because of the toll it was taking on her body.

"You're doing it, Quinny!" Riley encouraged her, "C'mon, it's almost over! When you wake up, everything's going to be okay! Go, Quinn! Finish him!"

She unleashed all the power she could muster up and fell forward before her energy could hit Vrak. Riley watched as yellow and green Symbol Power merged into one and hit the alien square in the chest, first tearing away at his armour, and then tearing through him. By the time the Symbol Power vanished, he was gone.

"We win!" Riley cried out happily before looking to the ground. She dropped to her knees beside her cousin and took her limp body in her arms. She hugged her close, "You did it, Quinny. We won! The Rangers are going home!"


	11. Home

It was a long run home, but the Rangers made it back to the hideout without Vrak catching up to them. Unaware Quinn had finished him off back at the palace, they continued to run to stay far ahead of him, hoping to buy enough time to get into the time machine and head back home.

They fell into the base, completely exhausted. Mr. and Mrs. Carver came over to them.

"You're all back!" Mrs. Carver cried out, forgetting to count the heads of the Rangers. Emma pulled away from the group and dropped down to her knees.

"Not all," Jake looked up at his best friend's mother before shaking his head. "Vrak's… not getting away with this."

"I… who's missing?" Mrs. Carver asked. Troy was about to answer her when he saw Ryan on the couch. He hurried over to her, thinking she had been worried for him, but when he touched her, he knew that wasn't the case. Mrs. Carver came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It was… peaceful."

"How…?" Troy turned to her with tears.

"She was sick. A lot of children haven't been living for long."

Troy's lower lip trembled, but he kept it together. There was still hope. He turned to Noah.

"The time machine…"

"Is built," Noah said as he flipped a switch and the lights turned on, "We've got one trip. I've got the date and time set to just after Vrak sends us away. We should be able to surprise him."

"Before," Emma looked up. "We have to go back to before he shoots us and stop him!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Noah shook his head. "Emma time is delicate. If we go back before and stop him, there'll be two of us, and then we'll have never gone to the future, so we'll… look, it's complicated, but we won't mess everything up if we go back in time to after Vrak shot us. We'll just change this future to something else."

"I don't care. Before!" Emma got up and tried to change the time on the machine. Noah pushed her away before she could.

"Em…"

"Gia's dead!" Emma shouted and silence filled the room after that. "Vrak killed her. We have to go back."

"We… we can't, Emma," Noah shook his head. "It'll take too long to explain, but I've got the perfect time set and…"

"We have to stop this happening!"

"We can't," Noah looked to Emma sadly. "I wish we could, Emma, but… it doesn't work that way."

"It has to!"

"If there was a way," Jake put his hand on Emma's shoulder, "Noah would know about it. I hate it too, Em, but we're just going to have to… face it."

"No! Everyone else is coming back to life!" Emma screamed. "Why can't Gia! It's not fair! You have to save her, Jake! She's counting on you!"

"I would if I could, Em, but Vrak… won."

"NO!"

"We'll stop him. I swear, we'll avenge Gia. We'll make him pay for all of this. You can count on that."

"I want her back!" Emma fell into Jake's arms, sobbing hysterically. Jake held her tight as a few tears of his own fell from his cheeks. He looked to Noah and nodded his head. Together, the two of them helped Emma inside the time machine, and squeezed in with her.

Troy looked to Mr. and Mrs. Carver, "Thank you… for all your help. For everything you've done to make this possible."

"We… we made room for five," Mr. Carver said. "Before you leave, before you go back to a time where we don't know… we just… want to apologize for all this."

"You did everything you could," Troy shook his head. "Without you, there'd be no way home. Thank you."

"Stay safe," Mrs. Carver waved to the teens as Troy climbed in and Noah hit the button. They all disappeared in a flash of light.

-Megaforce-

Emma felt herself falling from the sky briefly before hitting the ground. It took just a second for her to get her bearings before she was up on her feet again, enraged. She turned and looked down the street, seeing Vrak celebrating his win over her and the others, with his back now turned to her. Light consumed her as she morphed, and she summoned her Phoenix Shot. She fired at Vrak before he knew what hit him. He was sent to the ground, and when he turned to see who had attacked, he saw the Rangers were back.

"What?" he looked to his weapon, "But I… it… this should have worked."

"You're dead!" Emma cried as she ran towards him.

"Faulty thing!" Vrak tossed his weapon aside and knew it was time to fold. Before Emma could attack him, he vanished.

"Coward!" she screamed into the air as she powered down. "You coward!"

Jake ran forward and grabbed the weapon. Surely he could try to use it, to figure out a way to bring Gia back or stop her death, but when he checked he saw the little screen that he assumed flashed the time it was set to said _in use_. He waited seconds, then minutes, but it never changed.

"Maybe because Gia never came back," Noah said as he put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "She's trapped in the future."

"It's not fair," Jake turned around to his best friend and shook his head, "She… she can't be gone."

"Let's get you home," Noah whispered and let the black Ranger lean on him. "You're hurt, Jake. You need rest."

"Noah, I can't…"

"Let's go. Maybe we can talk to Gosei. Maybe he'll know something."

"It hurts, Noah," Jake's knees buckled and he brought Noah down with him.

"We'll take you home. You'll… we'll clean you up."

"You can't," Jake shook his head and could no longer be moved as he sobbed in the streets.


	12. Pain

Noah helped Jake get back home and walked him inside. He set his best friend down on the couch to rest and then didn't know what to do for him after that. There was nothing he could really do. All the bandages, creams, and medicine in the world couldn't help Jake feel better.

"I'm going to see what I can do," Noah promised Jake, but he wasn't sure it was a promise he could keep. He knew there was nothing more he could do for the black Ranger. The time machine was gone. Vrak's was no longer any good, and by coming home, they had erased the future where Gia died. Noah understood a lot more about time travel than any of the Rangers, but there was still so much he was uncertain off. Had Gia actually been erased from existence? Was there any way to save her? Was there really anything anyone could do to help her? She was dead in a future that no longer existed.

"Emma's right, Noah, we have to find a way to go back. Back before Vrak shot us…"

"Jake," Noah knelt beside the couch and looked at his best friend, "If we go back and stop Vrak from shooting us, we'll in turn stop ourselves going back to stop him."

"But Noah, Rangers don't just… die. Gia can't just die. There has to be something we can do."

"I'll look into it. I'll get Tensou to help," Noah promised as the door opened and Jake's father came home from work. "Just, rest up, alright?"

"Jake, are you here? I'm home and I was thinking of going out for… oh my god! Jake, what happened?"

Mr. Holling rushed over to his son's side, seeing him laid up on the couch after suffering as Vrak's prisoner. Jake was covered in dark bruises and nasty cuts that were going to be hard to explain away to his father without telling him the truth. Jake knew he had to try, though, and hoped his father would be too worried about taking care of him to bother with figuring out the real truth.

"A bad spill at practice," Jake groaned.

A bad spill? What happened? Did you get tackled by a freaking truck?" Mr. Holling cried as he did his best to check over Jake's head. "Here, let me help you up. We're going to the hos…"

"No, dad! Please, no," Jake shook his head. "I'll be fine, I swear."

"He will," Noah assured the worried father. "I brought him to the doctor already. He just needs some rest. I was about to help him clean up when you got home."

"I'll take care of things from here," Mr. Holling nodded and put his hand on Noah's shoulder, "Thank you for bringing him home."

"Any time," Noah muttered. He picked up his bag, which he had dumped at the front door when he came in, and walked out of the Holling household. He couldn't go home right away and so teleported to the command center to see if there was anything that could be done to save Gia.

-Megaforce-

"Are you sure you don't want me calling the police?" Rebecca asked her brother after he came home looking like he had lost a fight against an angry gorilla. "Troy, your face looks really, really bad."

"Just get it cleaned up and I'll be fine," Troy assured her and winced as the disinfectant burned his cuts. "Ow!"

"Yeah, you might want to get used to saying that," Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Pardon my language, but whoever this punk was, he fucked you up. What exactly happened?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Come on. You helped me now I help you. Seriously who did this to you? Why did he do this to you?"

"We don't need to worry about it, Rebecca…"

"Well, I am worried," Rebecca frowned. "And your parents are going to be worried too when they see this. Troy you can't let this guy…. Or guys, I'm assuming, get away with this! You could have been seriously hurt! And me saying that now is saying something, because before today I would have considered this seriously hurt!"

Troy grabbed his sister and pulled her into his arms, holding her softly, "I love you."

"I… I love you too, Troy," Rebecca whispered as she hugged her brother back. "Seriously, what's going on? You're freaking me out."

"I just… I'm just glad you're okay," Troy said.

"I'm not the one who decided to play banana for a gorilla," Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Troy, please tell me what's going on? At least tell me what to tell your parents when they see you like this?"

"I stopped an evil alien from taking over the planet by using a time machine to send the Rangers to a future where he's already conquered the world."

Rebecca frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "Something believable, please."

"It was just… wrong place at the wrong time," Troy said. "Some guys thought they could beat me and my friends up."

"Well, they were right. Wait, you mean the others are like this?"

"We're going to be fine, Rebecca. Wounds heal. Just, help me to bed, and when mom and dad come home, tell them… I went to bed early."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want them seeing me like this. It'll just freak them out."

"No, I mean, why are you in bed early. They'll ask."

"I wasn't feeling well."

"They'll check up on you."

Troy bit his lip. She was right.

"Alright, I was training and I'm really tired."

"Your mom will insist you still eat dinner."

"Tell her you gave me something to eat alright."

"I don't like lying to them, Troy. And I don't like you keeping secrets from me. Please…"

"I told you what happened…"

"Oh, what, the alien story? Power Rangers handle aliens, Troy, and last I checked, you weren't a Power Ranger… are you?"

"Rebecca…"

"Are you?"

"Rebecca…"

"You… You're a Power Ranger, aren't you?"

"No," Troy shook his head and felt his heart breaking. "Some punks thought they'd pick on me and my friends, and I guess I can't out intimidate everyone. I'll be fine, Rebecca, just… please cover for me and… and I'll… drive you to school every morning for a month."

"You don't have a car."

"I'll drive you to the mall every day once I do."

"Ha, ha, joke's on you. I don't have any friends to take to the mall… oh… wait."

"Just… please Rebecca," Troy grabbed her arms, "This is what brothers and sisters do. We cover for each other. Just for tonight. I'll look better in the morning and I'll tell mom and dad what happened. You won't be lying to them; you'll just be delaying the truth."

"You owe me for this," Rebecca said. Troy nodded his head and kissed her cheek before running upstairs. He closed his bedroom door and fell into his bed. He grabbed his face in his hands and sobbed quietly just to himself.

-Megaforce-

When Emma came home, she didn't bother to make it past the door. She simply collapse to the floor in the front hallway and sobbed, unable to stop herself. Unable to move.

"Emma?" her mother, who was visiting like she did nearly every day, and Mrs. Moran ran out from the living room when they heard her. Mrs. Goodall took her daughter in her arms and held her warmly. She had never seen her, or any person, so upset before. When she looked to Mrs. Moran's eyes, she saw her best friend was just as shocked and terrified.

"Emma, what's happened?" Mrs. Moran asked as she placed her hand on Emma's back. Emma only continued to sob. She couldn't get her words out. She couldn't say anything. She didn't know what to say anyways. She couldn't tell her mother what had happened, and there was no way she could look Mrs. Moran in the eyes and tell her her daughter was dead.

"Come on, Emma, talk to us," Mrs. Goodall tried to turn her daughter, to get her to look at her, but Emma refused and buried her face in her mother's shoulder, clutching her tightly as she cried. Mrs. Goodall felt her own tears building up in her eyes. Her daughter was breaking her heart, and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't stop Emma's cries, she couldn't fix her problems. She had no idea what they were. All she could do was hold her, but that didn't seem to be near enough.

"Gia," Mrs. Moran said to Mrs. Goodall as she got up. "Gia will know. She can talk to her. I'll get Gia…"

"Aren't they always together?" Mrs. Goodall asked.

"No, Gia was at the Brainfreeze," Mrs. Moran shook her head as a she felt her stomach turn. She shook her head again and reached for her cell phone. She dialled her daughter's number so she could beg her to come home and help with Emma, but she didn't get through.

"I'll… I'll go find her," Mrs. Moran jumped up and stormed out of the house. She had her car keys in hand, and made it up to her car when they fell. She leaned against the car and took in a deep breath.

"No… no," she shook her head. She had never seen Emma so upset before. Her chin quivered and her blood froze. When her parents took trips without her, Emma would cry, but she would never get this upset. When boys started pushing her around because of her love of the planet, she would get angry, but never this upset. When her parents left her, she had been hurt, but then this upset. When her father pointed the gun at her and Gia, she had been scared, but never this upset.

Mrs. Moran clutched her heart and her stomach as she dropped to her knees beside the car. When Mr. Moran had died, Emma had been distraught, but never this upset. This was a new level of pain for Emma. This was a hurt Emma never should have experienced. A hurt no one should have seen. Her cries, her screams, and her tears could only mean one thing. Mrs. Moran let out a cry of her own as guilt, shock, fear, doubt, and pain fell on her, crushing her from the outside and tearing her apart on the inside.


	13. Just In Time

Emma clutched Gia's tiger to her chest as she sat on the couch. She had cried herself dry and no longer had any more tears in her body to shed, but the pain wasn't any more bearable. She had seen a lot in the future, and while most of it had been erased due to her coming back to her own time, there was one thing that couldn't be undone.

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Goodall offered Emma something to eat, but the pink Ranger turned away. By now she knew Emma was upset over Gia's death, and though she had no clue what had happened or why, that didn't stop her caring for her daughter and Mrs. Moran. Her priority was them. She sat down beside Emma and put the plate on the coffee table, "You need to eat something, or at least get some rest."

Emma shook her head and fell into her mother's arms. Mrs. Goodall held her tight and started to rock her, hoping Emma would finally fall to sleep. Just to give her an extra push, she hummed softly in her ear. Emma couldn't be soothed, though, and after a few minutes, Mrs. Goodall gave up trying. She left the plate for Emma and walked up the stairs.

"Vanessa?" she knocked on Gia's bedroom door and walked inside. Mrs. Moran was on the bed, just taking everything in. Mrs. Goodall tried to put herself in Mrs. Moran's shoes, just to be more empathetic and helpful, but every time she tried she was overwhelmed with so many emotions she had to stop. Losing Emma would be the most painful, gut-wrenching feeling in the world, and she wasn't even as close to her daughter as Mrs. Moran had been. "Vanessa, please say something."

"I couldn't…" Mrs. Moran paused to breathe as more tears flooded her eyes. "When Joe… he… Claire, this isn't fair! Joe was too young! We had our whole lives in front of us still! Now my baby? Claire, what did she ever do? How is this… this can't be right. It's not happening. Oh, god, Claire, please just make it stop!"

"I… I… Vanessa…" Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Vanessa…"

-Megaforce-

It was the middle of the night. Jake couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, but no matter what he did he couldn't stop thinking about Gia. His father was in bed, likely asleep, and Jake hadn't told him anything yet. Eventually he would find out. Eventually, there would be a lot to say and do to explain what had happened.

But for now there was nothing he could do. He couldn't lie in his bed, though. He couldn't wish for all to be well. He threw away the blankets and got up. He walked to his bag and took out his morpher. It would be hours before his dad woke up to check on him again. In that time, Jake would be somewhere else.

He teleported himself to the command center. Noah was there working on his control panel with Tensou. Troy was there too, looking over their shoulders, offering suggestions when he could, just trying to be useful.

"Jake," Gosei greeted him. Jake looked up.

"Please tell me something can be done," he said and assumed Gosei knew.

"We are looking into all our options," Gosei promised. "Unfortunately, that is all."

"Wait, so a Ranger dies, and all we can do is look into options? Don't you have a plan for this? A machine or a course of action or… something?"

"We have hope and all the resources available to us."

"And is one of those resources a bring back the dead machine?" Jake asked. "Gosei, please… we can't let it end this way."

"That future doesn't exist anymore," Noah muttered as he shut off his console. Tensou sighed, but then hurried over to another one to keep working. Noah turned around to Jake and shook his head. "It's… gone."

"Gone? But there has to be a way to get it back… right? What about alternate dimensions?"

"We can't steal a Gia from a different dimension," Noah shook his head. "Besides, we're not even sure they exist."

"They do," Tensou said. "Unfortunately, the blue Ranger is right. Dimensions shouldn't cross over. The risks are already great for short term. If you're talking about bringing another yellow Ranger over into ours, the consequences could be catastrophic."

"Like what?" Jake rolled his eyes. "We've already been robbed. Won't we just be fixing everything?"

"Different dimensions are… different," Tensou explained. "The Gia you know here… you're not going to find her anywhere else. Different choices have been made, different lives have been led."

"Besides, you'd be taking Gia away from the people who love her there," Noah said.

"But we need her here," Jake said.

"We're looking into it," Troy promised. "We're trying to see if there's anything we can do…"

"You're leaning against a wall! Shut up, you're not helping!"

"He had a dream, Jake," Noah grabbed his best friend and looked him right in the eyes. "One of his usual dreams. You know, the big war."

"Gia was in it," Troy said.

"Yeah, I dream of Gia too," Jake rolled his eyes. "That means nothing! You can't possibly think a dream is going to bring her back!"

"It means there's hope."

"Oh, so what, you're a Disney Princess now? Go try on your dress for the ball. We have real work."

"Jake, we're doing what we can, but we might just have to face the facts. There's nothing we can do. Gia died in a future that no longer exists, and we can't bring her back without unravelling everything. I'm sorry."

"You're not working hard enough," Jake pushed Noah aside and walked up to his console.

"I built a freaking time machine, Jake," Noah rolled his eyes. "I think I've worked hard enough. I know you're upset and you don't mean that, but Jake… we can't be sure there's a way."

"You said you were trying!"

"And I will! We all are," Noah gestured around the command center. Gosei's scanning for any signs of Gia across all of time and space. Tensou's working hard trying to come up with something. I'm looking over results and papers and going over what happened to see if there's anything we can do."

"And Troy's dreaming…"

"He's staying calm. He's keeping cool," Noah put his hand on Jake's shoulders. "I'll try all night, but unless we see we're getting any closer to finding her… we're going to have to call it in the morning. You should think of a cover story to explain what happened."

"Her friends quit on her."

"Jake…"

Jake grabbed his console and shook his head. He leaned over it, trying to contain all his emotions.

"This isn't fair."

-Megaforce-

His body ached, but he could only assume that was normal given all he had been through. Then he crashed into the dirt.

"Wow, that's hard," he muttered and pushed himself up to his feet. He had a look around, seeing a world he never thought he would see again. He gave a little smile before he heard a groan coming from his feet.

"Oh, right," he said as he knelt. "Gia? Gia, can you hear me?"

He shook her gently, but tried not to hurt her too much. Seeing she was breathing, he knew she was alive, but that was only half the battle. He started to look around for a place to hide until he could figure out exactly where he had landed. He saw a forest, and figured there had to be somewhere to rest in there.

"This might hurt," he said to Gia as he scooped her up in his arms. She let out a cry of pain, but there was nothing else she could do. He carried her into the woods until he found what looked like a cool, protected, and soft place to set her down. He did, and then took off the bag from his back and rummaged through it. At the same time, he set down his weapon and smashed it with a rock.

"You're never going to have to worry about that scary trip again," he told her. He pulled out some bandages. Her eyes fluttered open as he started to wrap some of her wounds.

"Jordan?"

"Hey," he smiled at her.

"When did you get a twin?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "I'd say birth, but I don't have one. You have a headache, I'm assuming?"

"I have a head?" she tried to sit up, Jordan pushed her down.

"One head, ten fingers, and ten toes," he said. "You're lucky."

"Can you tell… me that," Gia let out a cry, protesting painfully as he took her arm and slipped it out of the sleeve of her jacket.

"Sorry… sorry, I just want to see your back," he cradled her to his chest as he took the rest of her jacket off and looked down at the wound on her back. He winced, and then pulled out a knife from his back and cut away at her shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't possibly be comfortable in this," he told her. Then he took off his own jacket and wrapped it around her. "Here. Bleed on it all you want. I won't need it again anyways."

"What… what happened?" Gia looked up at him with so much confusion. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Vrak killed you."

"Hell's not that bad."

"This isn't hell."

"Well, then heaven sucks."

"You're not dead," Jordan chuckled. "Vrak killed you, and the other Rangers managed to run. They didn't want to, believe me, it took a lot of convincing."

"You're making no sense. Let other Jordan talk."

Jordan smiled and shook his head. "Once the others left, I had the kids keep Vrak busy while I ran."

"A real hero."

"Vrak said he destroyed the weapon that sent you Rangers to the future, but he never did. He kept it around, just in case he ever needed it again. I grabbed it, sent myself back in time to the moment Vrak killed you. Well, just before. I made it back down and from a hiding place, I shot you."

"So you killed me?"

"You're not dead. I brought you back to your time, back to after Vrak sent you away, and I managed to do so before your friends came home and erased that future. Then I sent myself here. I need to get you back to the others. You're in no condition to do so yourself."

"I… OW! OW! OW! Jordan, stop it!"

He shook his head as he lifted her in his arms. "Sorry, Gia, but I have to get you home."

"OW! Fuck, Jordan, please," Gia begged and with her cries, he had no choice but to lay her back down. "You couldn't have sent us back in time to a hospital?"

"It needed to be some place Vrak wouldn't find us," Jordan shook his head. "Out of the way, so no one saw. Gia, I've got to lift you up. It's the only way you're getting home. We don't have a lot of time."

"No, Jordan…" she screamed painfully as he took her in his arms and lifted her from the ground. Jordan apologized profusely as he started to run. The forest was thick, but he soon recognized the trail Emma had taken him on hundreds of times in the past. He stopped to check the way. He didn't want to make a wrong turn now that he was almost back. He looked up and down the trail, and gently shifted Gia's weight in his arms so he could continue to hold her.

Suddenly, he was struck from behind. He fell forward and Gia rolled out of his arms. He tried to crawl to her, to scoop her up again and keep her close, but a hand grabbed his shoulder and flipped him on his back. He looked up, seeing Vrak had found him.

"I knew there was something," Vrak said with a laugh and he stomped his foot down on Jordan's stomach and pressed into his ribs. "When only four Rangers turned up out of the time machine, I knew something must have happened."

He glanced over to where Gia was lying on the ground motionless. If Jordan hadn't known any better, he would have sworn she was dead. He knew she was close to it, though, and if he couldn't get away from Vrak and to the hospital fast enough, she would be.

"C'mon, Vrak, this is too easy for you," Jordan said as he struggled to get up, which forced Vrak to stay near him instead of wander closer to Gia. "I'm from the future you created with that weapon. I've seen all the power you have."

He glanced up and saw Gia still lying in the dirt. Even if she were conscious she had no way of getting herself to safety, or even standing up. She was completely defenseless and completely at the mercy of whoever won this fight.

Vrak looked down at him, "Power? How much power?"

"You killed all the Rangers. Not just the Megaforce Rangers, but every other team to ever defend this planet. You destroyed anyone who opposed you."

"And Admiral Malkor? The mutants? They just let me…?"

"You're stronger than they are, Vrak. You're smarter. Once you took control of the Earth, you used all your forces and your technology to end them. You were the king, the boss, the ruler. Everyone answered to you."

"They did?"

"Yes," Jordan glanced up at Gia again, "Look at her, Vrak. If this really the way you want to start your empire? Destroying a weakened, defenseless foe? What message does that send to your enemies? What will that say to the Rangers? You can only win if a future version of you, who no longer exists, kicked their butts first? Don't you want to show them you have all that power inside of you now?"

"Or, I could kill her and lessen the Rangers' forces by one…"

"Or have her owe you," Jordan grabbed Vrak's foot to keep his attention on him. "You spare her now, let her recover, and she'll owe you her life. You'll own her! She'll be your very own Ranger to be summoned whenever you need her. Imagine how that'll torture her, knowing she's only alive because you've got greater plans for her? Knowing she's living on time you gave to her, and can take away at a moment's notice? Imagine how much she'll suffer knowing her life doesn't belong to her…"

"It belongs to me," Vrak smirked.

"You know how to control her, Vrak. You know her weaknesses, her fears. You can control her, you can own her…"

Jordan stopped speaking when he felt Vrak's foot lift from his ribs. He looked up at the alien, shocked.

"Go," Vrak said. "See to it that she survives. And when she does… if she does, remind her that she belongs to me."

"Thank you, Vrak," Jordan said in a tone that was as grateful as he could make. He had no intention of telling Gia the deal he made with Vrak. He had no intention of letting her be his puppet. He knew what Vrak wanted to hear and played him to keep Gia alive. Vrak nodded his head and disappeared. Jordan pushed himself up to his feet and then dropped back down beside Gia. He scooped her up in his arms.

"Sorry, Gia, but better you live with Vrak thinking you owe him one, then come all this way just to let you die," he scooped her up carefully. "This way, at least you're still alive."

Time was running out. He needed to move quickly. He looked down the trail again, recognized his way and ran to the city. It had been a long time since he had seen it like this, but he knew exactly where he was headed. Trying his best not to be seen, he kept to the back roads until he made it to the hospital. Then, he stormed in and made his presence very known by screaming for a doctor. Nurses flooded around him, bringing a gurney which he laid Gia on.

"You need to fight, Gia," he whispered as he tried to make her comfortable on the gurney. "Get back to your family, to Emma, then get better, and when Vrak rears his ugly head again, show him he doesn't own you."

He stroked her cheek gently and then turned to the nurse who looked like she was in charge.

"She says her name is Gia Moran," this would help the hospital reach her family. "I found her by the side of the road just outside of town. She was conscious, and when I asked her, she didn't remember what happened. I bandaged her up a bit to stop the blood loss, but I couldn't do anything about the wound on her back. It's pretty bad."

"We'll take it from here," a nurse promised him as they took Gia away. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had done all he could and now the Rangers were all finally back home in their time, and the future he knew was gone.

But it was a good thing. The Rangers could keep it from happening. They could keep all his friends, his family, and their family from suffering like they had. They could stop Vrak taking over the world. He knew they could.

Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest. He stumbled slightly as he tried to find some place private. He saw the bathroom and made his way inside, locking the door behind him. When he looked down, he saw his hands were gone.

"Future's catching up to me," he said with a smile and then disappeared completely.


	14. It's A Miracle

Mrs. Moran got a call from the hospital in the early hours of the morning. It was about six o'clock when Mrs. Goodall knocked on the door and said the hospital was on the phone for her. Mrs. Moran didn't have it in her to speak to anyone but for a reason she still couldn't explain she took the phone and listened to what the person on the other end had to say. When she was told her daughter had been admitted, she thought it was a joke. While Emma hadn't yet said, in her own words, that Gia was dead, it was clear something had happened and she was gone for good. Mrs. Moran felt it in her heart. Her baby was dead.

But the call from the hospital couldn't be ignored. She knew of no one who could or would play such a mean spirited, evil prank on her, and even if someone could, she would not risk being wrong and abandoning her daughter because it was too hard to find out. She told Mrs. Goodall to keep quiet about the call to Emma, and everyone, until she had it figured out for herself. Only if it was true would anyone else know about the call.

So Mrs. Moran rushed to the hospital, taking her car and speeding down the streets. Fortunately, at such an early hour there was no traffic. She made it to the hospital faster than she had the day she had given birth to Gia. She stormed over to the front desk, pushing past the small lineup of people waiting for help and introduced herself. She was told to take a seat and wait for someone to take her up. The wait was only a couple of minutes, but Mrs. Moran complained of the agonizing hours that passed before a doctor turned up and told her he would guide her to her daughter's room.

"She's resting," he told her when he first let her inside the room. "We're not certain what's happened to her. The man who brought her in said he found her on the side of the road. We've done everything we could for her; the rest is up to her. She's comfortable."

"Is she going to…?"

"I never like making promises," the doctor said. "I've been in this profession long enough to see things make devastating turns for the worst, but if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on her. She's a fighter."

Mrs. Moran nodded her head, thanked the doctor, and then walked over to her daughter's bedside. She pulled up a chair, sat beside her and took her hand. Gia then stirred. Mrs. Moran jumped up from her seat and didn't know what to do next as Gia started to toss and turn in the bed.

"Gia… shh, Gia, its okay," gently, she reached out and touched Gia's cheek, "It's alright, Gia, I'm here. You're going to be okay."

Her eyes fluttered open. At first, Mrs. Moran saw panic. Then joy lit up her daughter's face. She threw herself upright and launched herself into her mother's arm, wrapping her up tightly. Mrs. Moran did the same, taking her daughter in and never wanting to let go. Gia then started to cry and Mrs. Moran knew it was real.

"It's okay," she said and stroked Gia's hair and kissed her cheek, taking in every part of her daughter being alive and in her arms. "Sweetheart, it's okay."

"You're alive," Gia whispered in her mother's ear.

"Me?" Mrs. Moran pulled away and looked down at her daughter, "You're the one who… you…"

She shook her head. It didn't matter. They were together. She pulled her daughter back in close and held on to her until she fell Gia starting to slump. Seeing her daughter was asleep, resting up, she laid her back down into the bed and then sat beside her, holding her hand and just stared at her.

-Megaforce-

Noah could see some sunlight coming back into the command center, and with a shake of his head he knew it was the end. He looked over at Tensou, who sadly slumped over and turned off the control panel. The blue Ranger turned to Troy and Jake, who were keeping busy doing what they could with the morphers to track down any signs of life from Gia.

"The sun's up."

"Coming, not up," Jake shook his head. Noah sighed.

"Jake…"

"She can't be gone!" Jake said. "Please, just for a few more hours…"

"And then more, and more, and…"

"Noah, I can't give up on her," Jake stood up and walked up to his best friend, "I can't just let her go. Not without giving her a fair chance. Please…"

"Harwood County Hospital," Gosei suddenly blurted out an all three boys and Tensou turned around to look at him. "Her signal is very weak, but it is present. She's at Harwood County Hospital."

"You're shitting me," Jake looked up at Gosei.

"I am not _shitting_ you," Gosei responded. "I've picked up her life signatures in the hospital. You three should go and check it out."

"Alright, you don't have to tell me twice," Jake said as he picked up his bag and started to run from the command center. Noah was right behind him. Troy stayed behind for a moment.

"Gosei, we watched her die… how is this possible?"

"Perhaps she will have an answer for you. All I know is her location."

"Thanks, Gosei," Troy said before taking off after the others to see for himself if his friend was back.

-Megaforce-

Jake ran all the way to the hospital. His lungs felt like they were about to collapse, but he didn't care. He ran up to the desk and demanded to know where they were keeping his girlfriend. He was told to take a seat.

"I… might… get… admitted," Noah was panting between words as he tried to catch his breath, "Five… years without… an asthma attack… and one… might happen at… the hospital."

"You'll be fine, dude," Jake gave him a pat on the back and couldn't stop tapping his foot as he waited for someone to take him to see Gia. Troy arrived shortly after. He was also out of breath, but he was nowhere near as bad as Noah.

"Show… offs," Noah muttered and then he reached into his bag for his inhaler, feeling fortunate he kept it on him at all times even after years of never needing one.

Troy walked up to the desk, and with a calmer attitude and a little more respect than Jake, he asked about Gia.

"She's a good friend," he begged the nurse, who wouldn't give him any information unless he could prove he was family. "We just heard there was an accident and she was believed to be dead. We came as soon as we found out she was admitted here. Please, nurse, it would mean everything if you could just…"

"Boys," a door opened and the three of them looked over. Mrs. Moran was waving them in. The boys raced over to see her, stopping in the hallway once the door was closed.

"Mrs. Moran, where's Gia? Is she…"

"She's resting," Mrs. Moran said. She looked around and then whispered, "What the hell happened?"

"Vrak," Troy answered. "He had this weapon…"

"Like a gun!" Noah said. "It was a time machine and he sent us to the future!"

"Without us protecting the Earth, he took over," Jake continued. "He ruled everything! He ruled everyone!"

"He killed all the former Rangers, and everyone who stood in his way. You didn't let that stop you, though. When Vrak announced we would be coming back, you started a rebellion. You tried to take him down."

"When that didn't work, Vrak killed you, but you came up with another plan! One that guaranteed we would get home."

"Only there was a snag," Jake went on, "Troy and I were caught by Vrak, along with Gia, while getting parts so Noah could build a time machine. He made us his prisoners, and planned on killing us so nothing could stop his power."

"Only, kids turned up. The Samurai Rangers' children," Troy continued. "They helped us escape. We were almost out of the palace when we bumped into Emma and Jordan. Then Vrak caught us all."

"Meanwhile," Noah said. "I was trying to get the time machine up and running, so that when everyone came back, we could jump in and go straight home and prevent the future."

"There was a big fight. Vrak had a lot of power. He tried to go after us, but the kids got in the way. Gia was pissed, and tried to protect them."

"Only one of the kids attacked Vrak. She only had a few seconds to run. She did, she tried, but Vrak was too fast. He shot her. He killed her."

"Whoa, whoa… what?" Mrs. Moran pinched the bridge of her nose. "I… I don't know where to start! What happened? Who… died? Vrak did… Someone please explain to me, properly, why my daughter is upstairs!"

"Vrak shot her when we were trying to make it back to our time from the future," Jake said. "There was a big explosion, some fire, and she just… disappeared. We wanted to stay and find out what happened to her, but we had to go. We had to get back to this time to stop what happened from happening!"

"So why is my daughter supposed to be dead?" Mrs. Moran growled. She wasn't angry with the boys, but she had a lot of questions that needed answering, and the longer she waited to find out, the more frustrated she felt. "Why did I just spend an entire night sobbing over the death of my little girl? Why do I have another girl at home emotionally wrecked because she thinks her best friend is dead? Believe me, boys, I'm thrilled she's not, but I'm not just going to stand here like some idiot without a clue! My daughter should be dead? She died in the future? How the hell did she get back? Why do the doctors want to keep her in the hospital? Why is she hurt? Someone tell me!"

"We don't know," Troy said. "We just know Vrak killed her. We were looking up ways to possibly undo it when Gosei…"

"Gosei…" Mrs. Moran growled and she grabbed Troy's arm, "Where the hell is that big faced, good for nothing picture frame?"

"I'll take Mrs. Moran back to the command center," Troy said as Mrs. Moran's grip around his arm tightened painfully. "You two go sit with Gia."

"ICU 406," Mrs. Moran told Noah and Jake, "And if anything happens while I'm gone, you two are going to wish you never came back."

"Yes, mam," Jake and Noah nodded their heads before hurrying off to find Gia's room. Troy looked up at Mrs. Moran.

"Gosei did what he…"

"He gave you your Ranger powers," Mrs. Moran said. "He's the reason all this pain is happening to my little girl. If he think he won't get an earful from me from time to time… he's got another thing coming. Take me to the command center."

Troy gulped. At least her anger wasn't directed at him.

Upstairs, Jake and Noah practically fell out of the elevator once it reached the fourth floor and they ran, as quickly as they could, down the hall until they found Gia's room. Jake opened the door and walked inside quietly so as not to disturb Gia. When he saw her, sleeping peaceful in the bed, with beeping machines telling him she was really there and really alive, he couldn't control himself. Tears flowed down from his eyes and his nose, soaking his face in a matter of seconds. He walked over to the bed and took her hand.

"How… how?" he asked, but he knew there would be no response. She was sleeping. He turned to Noah. His best friend always had an answer.

"It's a miracle," Noah shrugged. He looked at the various charts and scans from the machines and shook his head. There was no way to explain what had happened.

Jake sniffed, and the noise must have woken Gia up because she stirred. Jake leaned over her and Noah came to her bedside. When she opened her eyes, they were both right there.

"Hey," she managed a smile. Jake fell into the chair and kissed her hand.

"Hey back," Noah answered and looked around the room, "So… does Vrak have gun that sends you directly to hospitals now? That's pretty useful."

"The last thing I remember is… kids," Gia said. "We were… Vrak had a palace…"

"It's foggy, isn't it?"

"If that's what you want to call it," Gia said. "What year is it?"

"2014. We're home."

"You built the time machine?"

"You never rode in it," Noah shook his head. "You… died."

Gia frowned, "Huh?"

"Vrak shot you," Jake managed to stand up again and he looked down at his girlfriend. "We were just about to leave his palace when he shot you."

"So… I died?"

"Well, we thought so. I mean, Vrak was pretty confident. We were pretty sure," he nodded. "But… you're here, and you weren't with us in the time machine so… so obviously…"

Jake fell into the bed and took Gia in his arms. Seeing her now, he didn't really care about the story. He didn't care what had happened, how she had been saved, or how she got back home. He was so grateful to have her back that he boiled it all down to a miracle. It wasn't her time to die, to leave him, and someone made sure she got home safe.

Gia groaned loudly, "Ow… Jake, you're probably barely touching me but I can feel my ribs caving in… please let me go."

"Sorry," Jake pulled away and looked down at her apologetically. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry… sorry…"

He took her hand. It seemed that was the only painless thing he could do for her now. It was more than enough. She was home. That was what mattered.


	15. Emma's Surprise

Mrs. Moran had received a call from the hospital in the early hours of the morning. Mrs. Goodall knew because it had been her who had answered the phone. Mrs. Moran had also only told Mrs. Goodall about where she was headed and why, stating the hospital had called for Gia. She didn't want anyone else to find out, especially if this was some cruel prank. Some doubt in her mind pushed her to check it out, though.

It was the middle of the afternoon now and Mrs. Goodall had a good feeling when her phone rang. She had just finished cleaning up the dishes from a lunch she basically had to force feed her daughter when she got the call. She answered the phone and heard sobs on the other end right away.

"Vanessa?"

"Claire, it's true. I don't know how, but it's true. She's here."

"She is?"

"The nurses told me a man brought her in. He says he found her by the side of the road, just outside town."

"A man? Is she hurt?"

"She doesn't remember what happened. Come down. Bring Emma."

"I will. We'll be there soon, okay," Mrs. Goodall hung up the phone and carried it with her to the living room. Emma couldn't be moved from her spot. She was curled up on the couch, hugging Gia's tiger toy to her chest while tears spilled down her cheeks. It broke her mother's heart to see her like this, but Mrs. Goodall was finally happy she knew how to help her daughter. She sat down beside her and took her in her arms.

"That was Vanessa."

Emma pulled away. She didn't want to hear it, it seemed. Mrs. Goodall couldn't blame her. From what she had gotten out of Emma, it seemed her daughter really believed Gia was dead. Nothing else mattered to her anymore. Mrs. Goodall didn't give up.

"It's about Gia. She was found just outside town, on the side of the road…"

Emma shook her head and pushed her mother away. It was likely a message from Vrak from the future. He was probably sending her dead body back to tell the Rangers he was ready to hurt them again.

"I don't care…"

"That she's alive?"

"No… what?"

Mrs. Goodall held her daughter's arms and nodded, "Gia's alive."

"No…" Emma shook her head before taking it in both her hands and rocking on the couch. "No… no, I saw… she's… mom, I saw her…"

"She's alive, Emma. I promise you, this isn't something I would kid about. Vanessa got a call this morning and went to check it out. She just called me now to tell us to come by. I'm sure she wants to see you just as much as you want to see her."

"You're not lying?"

"Why would I lie? I have everything to lose," Mrs. Goodall brushed Emma's hair behind her ear. "Are you coming with me to see her? Or do I have to tell her you're…"

"I'm coming," Emma said and jumped up from the couch. Mrs. Goodall could see she was in a hurry and so grabbed her car keys and followed her daughter out the door.

Emma couldn't get to the hospital fast enough, and practically fell out of the car before it was parked and ran into the building. She found the front desk and almost ran into it as she asked where she could find Gia.

"Name?" the receptionist asked as she pulled out a list. Emma assumed it was a list of names of people who were allowed to visit.

"Emma Goodall."

"A nurse will be here shortly."

"No! Now!" Emma called out but her mother arrived and took her to have a seat. Emma tapped her foot impatiently as she waited and stared down every nurse who walked out from the hospital doors. Finally, one walked over to the desk for a quick chat with the receptionist and then turned around and smiled at Emma.

"Are you here to see Gia?"

Emma jumped up. Mrs. Goodall took her hand to keep her a little calm. This was a hospital, after all, and though she was eager to see Gia, there were other patients who needed her to be respectful.

"How is she?" Mrs. Goodall asked.

"We're keeping a close eye on her. She's in a much better state than when she arrived last night."

"Do you know who brought her in?" Mrs. Goodall asked.

"Sorry, no," the nurse shook her head. "He was a short haired man, oh, I couldn't tell you. Our main focus was taking care of your…" the doctor looked down at some papers, "niece. We figured he would stay to see how she was doing."

"Niece?" Mrs. Goodall repeated under her breathe and then smiled.

"How is she doing?" Emma asked. "Like, right now. Is she okay?"

"She's resting, and like I said, we're keeping a close eye on her, but she's come all this way, I doubt she's going to let herself turn around now. She's right here," the nurse opened a door to let Mrs. Goodall and Emma inside. Emma walked inside and then stopped right in her tracks when she saw Gia sleeping in her bed. Mrs. Goodall wrapped her arms around Emma.

"She looks like she'll pull through," she said and kissed her daughter's cheek. Emma couldn't believe it.

"Thank you, nurse," Mrs. Moran said as the nurse walked out. She then turned to Emma, "It's a miracle."

"How is she?" Mrs. Goodall felt she was asking that question a lot, but never seemed to get a straight answer. Looking at Gia now, though, she could see why. "Do we know what happened?"

"They think it was some kind of assault," Mrs. Moran said and glanced quickly at Emma. They both knew what really happened. Mrs. Goodall found out from the boys, and then again when she went to the command center to give Gosei a piece of her mind. She had yelled and screamed at him for hours for giving her daughter the Ranger duties, as well as not protecting her when she obviously needed help.

In other words, Gosei had banned her from returning to the command center. Not that Mrs. Moran planned on listening to him. The way she saw it, if he didn't want her bothering him in his home, he shouldn't have asked her daughter to put her life in danger.

"Assault?" Mrs. Goodall asked. "Who would have done that?"

She turned to Emma who seemed to know the most about what had happened, but Emma didn't look back at her. Her eyes were stuck on Gia.

"They're looking into it," Mrs. Moran shrugged. "At this point, I'm just happy to have her back," Mrs. Moran turned back to Gia and looked to her lovingly as she stroked her cheek.

"Me too," Mrs. Goodall said. "But… I am just curious… how bad was the assault? This is the ICU."

"Don't look at her back," Mrs. Moran said. Mrs. Goodall frowned before walking around the bed. Gia was sleeping on her side, which left her back exposed. With the hospital gown open in the back, Mrs. Goodall didn't have to do much digging before she saw the heavy, blistered burns on Gia's back. She felt she was going to be sick as she looked up in horror at her best friend.

"Oh my god… who… who would do something like this?"

"She doesn't remember," Mrs. Moran shook her head. "And maybe it's best it stays that way."

"Vanessa, maybe it's best _she_ doesn't remember, but whoever did this to her needs to… die!"

"Claire…"

"Vanessa, have you not seen your daughter's back? Whoever this son of a bitch is, he needs to die this very same way! This is painful, Vanessa! She's going to suffer!"

"And we'll let the police handle catching the guy who did it," Mrs. Moran nodded. "I promise. Why don't we step outside for a bit? Emma looks like she needs some time."

Mrs. Goodall nodded and walked out with Mrs. Moran, determined to try and get her a little more focused on finding whoever thought he could put his hands on Gia. When they were gone, Emma took a seat beside the bed and hesitated to touch Gia's face. She still couldn't believe it was true. She had watched Vrak kill her. She had seen her die.

"Em?" Gia whispered before she started to stir. Emma nodded her head and then gently put her hand on Gia's cheek just before the yellow Ranger opened her eyes. The girls smiled at each other for a brief moment before Emma moved her hand and then shoved Gia in the shoulder.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she screamed as she jumped out of her seat. Gia winced, not just because she was hurting, but because she knew how much she had scared Emma with this little stunt.

"Sorry…"

"I thought you were dead! Dead, Gia! What the hell were you thinking, taking on Vrak like that? Why couldn't you just run?"

"I'm sorry, Emma," Gia forced herself to sit up and let out a hiss of pain as she did. Emma's face softened. She gently helped Gia get comfortable in a seated position.

"You know this means I have to kill you now," she said and glanced to the yellow Ranger. Gia nodded her head.

"I know."

"Don't you ever…" Emma took a step back and wiped the tears away from her eyes. She shook her head, "You're my only person. Anything can happen, and I know I'll be okay because you're there. I lose you and it's… I just…"

Emma fell back into her seat and shook her head again. The thought of losing Gia again, the thought of going through all those emotions again was too much to bear. Her body started to shake.

Gia tapped her bed, inviting Emma up. Emma had a hard time willing her body to move. She was still in shock over everything. Gia reached her hand out, encouraging Emma to climb up. When they were on the bed, Emma wrapped her arms around Gia, careful not to hurt her, but wanting to keep her close.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Emma whispered.

"You'd kill Vrak, for starters…"

"I don't… I don't even know if I'd make it that far," Emma shook her head. "Gia, I was so scared. You've always been there. I've always been able to count on you. I… don't you ever leave me like that again, or at the very least, take me with you."

"Believe me, you don't want to suffer this," Gia shook her head and leaned in closer to Emma as she closed her eyes. "But trust me; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Emma gently squeezed Gia and then laid in bed with her, just taking in this moment and getting used to the feeling of having her best friend back. Gia was never someone she had taken for granted, and after this experience, she never would.

"Gia…?"

"Mhm?"

"You don't remember what happened? How you got back?"

She felt Gia shaking her head and assumed her best friend was too tired to answer any more questions or try to think about what had happened. Emma let out a sigh and decided to just end it there by believing it all to be a miracle.


End file.
